Los Angeles police (LAPD) released bodycam footage Sunday showing a suspected burglar jumping off the roof of a multi-story apartment building during a Sept. 15 encounter with police.
The suspect’s leap apparently surprised the officers, according to the video. The suspect landed on an adjacent building’s roof and then continued onto the ground between the two buildings. He briefly lay motionless as an officer screamed at him to raise his hands.
“Don’t move! Don’t reach for your waistband!” the officers yelled, as they noticed him allegedly moving his hand toward his waist. The officers repeatedly warned, “Don’t do it!” and “Put it down!” as they stepped backward for cover before shots rang out, one of them reportedly from a 40-mm less lethal launcher, according to an LAPD statement.
The officers were responding at about 12:09 p.m. Sept. 15 to a “hot prowl” burglary report in an apartment building in the 1100 Block of East 33rd Street. Four male suspects allegedly bound a male tenant, placed a blanket over his head, stole his car keys and reportedly intended to break into other apartments, according to the video and the police statement.
Jeffrey Askew, 27, the suspect who leaped and allegedly fetched and aimed at officers what they believed was a gun from his waistband, was arrested and taken to the Los Angeles General Medical Center in critical but stable condition. (RELATED: ‘Not Safe Anywhere’: Famous Singer Posts Videos Allegedly Showing Her Car Being Robbed)
The police also arrested two of the suspects, Aaron Flenoy, 22, and Justice Lockhart, 25, before the shooting. After the incident, police apprehended the fourth suspect, Daiyaan Henderson, 20, as he allegedly attempted to exit the apartment complex in disguise.
The object Askew drew on the officers turned out to be a 6.5-inch-long hammer. The LAPD bodycam video, however, also included security footage reportedly captured on the premises of the apartment complex which showed one of the suspects handling a semi-automatic pistol.
Each suspect faces charges relating to robbery, burglary and a felony offense against an elderly person.
The investigation into the officer-involved shooting had begun and would be very thorough, LAPD spokesperson Captain Kelly Muñiz said, per a statement.