Police recently released body camera footage regarding an incident that occurred on September 15, 2023, in South Los Angeles. An intense encounter unfolded between Los Angeles Police Department officers and a group of burglary suspects.
The incident involved a suspect leaping from an apartment building in a desperate escape attempt.
The events began when four men allegedly forced their way into an apartment located on the 1100 block of East 33rd Street. The resident inside was bound and gagged, and the assailants later stole the keys to his vehicle. When the police arrived, two of the suspects, Justice Lockhart and Aaron Flenoy, were taken into custody without any complications.
However, the situation rapidly escalated when another suspect, Jeffrey Askew, 27, attempted to elude arrest in a rather perilous manner. He was captured on the body camera footage leaping off the apartment building. In his descent, Askew collided with the roof of a neighboring single-story home. The momentum caused him to rebound off the sloped roof, sending him crashing onto a cement walkway below.
As Askew lay injured and prone on the ground, officers approached him with caution. They repeatedly ordered him not to move or reach for his waistband. In the tense moments that followed, Askew extracted an object from his waistband. Officers perceived this gesture as a threat, believing that the object was a firearm. It was later discovered that the object was a hammer. Reacting to what they believed was an imminent threat, one of the officers discharged his or her weapon, wounding Askew.
First responders arrived at the scene, providing immediate medical assistance to Askew. He was transported to the Los Angeles General Medical Center. At the hospital, Askew was reported to be in critical but stable condition.
The fourth suspect, Daiyaan Henderson, 20, had a different strategy for evading the police. He attempted to change his attire and casually walk out of the apartment complex’s front entrance. Despite his efforts to blend in, officers identified and arrested him.
Following the arrests, all four suspects, Jeffrey Askew, Daiyaan Henderson, Aaron Flenoy, 22, and Justice Lockhart, 25, faced charges. They were charged with one count each of home invasion robbery, residential burglary, and a felony offense against a person over 65 years of age. Additionally, Flenoy and Henderson received charges for the personal use of a firearm during a felony act.