In an incident captured on video, an escaped convict, identified as a 29-year-old man from New Hampshire, was shot and killed by police in a Miami Beach Victoria’s Secret store on Thursday, July 27.
The scene unfolded after Darien Young, 29, was caught shoplifting lingerie from the store at Lincoln Road and Jefferson Avenue.
After being confronted by store employees, Young took a woman and her teenage daughter hostage at knifepoint.
In the footage, he can be seen holding one of the victims by the neck while seeking refuge behind the store’s checkout counter. The woman’s daughter was nearby, her hands clasped in prayer, as Young repeatedly threatened to harm her.
A witness recounted how the suspect refused to heed the responding officer’s pleas to put down the weapon and release the hostages. The situation escalated when Young released the mother and grabbed her daughter.
Fearing for the victims’ lives, the Miami Beach police officer took action and fired at Young, ending the standoff. The suspect was rushed to a nearby hospital’s trauma unit in critical condition but later succumbed to his injuries.
The mother and daughter emerged from the ordeal unharmed, thanks to the officer’s decisive action.
Investigations revealed that Young was an escaped convict who had fled New Hampshire on July 21, just one week before the encounter. He had been incarcerated there for drug charges, falsifying physical evidence, and receiving stolen property. Interestingly, Young’s earliest parole eligibility date was set for July 31, 2023.
The reasons behind Young’s 1,500-mile journey to Miami Beach and his motive for stealing lingerie from Victoria’s Secret remain unclear. Authorities continue to piece together the events leading up to the incident.