A hammer-wielding burglary suspect took a leap of faith as he tried to evade capture by jumping off the roof of an apartment building in Los Angeles before being shot by cops.
Bodycam footage released by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) revealed the dramatic moment as the man catapulted into the air before quickly plummeting to the ground.
Officers responded to the home invasion in south LA on September 15 after getting a 911 call from the distressed building manager of the East 33rd Street residence.
The manager had frantically called police for help after the four people had forced their way into an apartment in the complex, bound a resident and stolen his car keys.
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW
A hammer-wielding burglary suspect took a leap of faith as he tried to evade capture by jumping off the roof of an apartment building in Los Angeles before being shot by cops
On the call the manager claimed that the four had remained at the premises and were now stalking the hallways terrorizing other tenants.
‘[They’re] going to people’s units and they’re trying to break into a unit right now,’ the female manager, whose name was not identified, said.
While she believed they were teenagers, the four suspects were later identified by police as Aaron Flenoy, Justice Lockhart, Jeffrey Askew, Daiyaan Henderson, who are all in their 20s.
Once police arrived on scene, Lockhart and Flenoy were taken into custody, but Askew decided to take a gamble and flung himself from the rooftop in a bid to escape justice.
Officers responded to the home invasion in south LA on September 15 after getting a 911 call from the distressed building manager of the East 33rd Street residence
‘Don’t do it, don’t move, do not move!’ officers are heard shouting as Askew appears to reach for his waistband
Police shot Askew (pictured) after he reached for his waistband for what they’d initially thought was a gun but turned out to be a hammer
Footage revealed police looking up at the building as Askew, who appeared to be aiming for another roof, jumped and bounced off it before landing on the pavement.
‘Don’t do it, don’t move, do not move!’ officers are heard shouting as Askew appears to reach for his waistband.
The hammer Askew was holding at the time of the shooting
‘As officers approached Askew to take him into custody and render aid, he reached into his front waistband and removed what officers believed to be a firearm,’ a police statement read.
‘Askew then appeared to point the object in the officers’ direction, resulting in an Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS) and a simultaneous deployment of a 40mm Less-Lethal Launcher foam projectile round.’
It was later identified that Askew was not holding a gun, but a hammer at the time of the shooting.
The burglary suspect was taken to hospital in a critical but stable condition in the days after the incident, his current condition remains unclear.
The manager had frantically called police for help after the four people had forced their way into an apartment in the complex, bound a resident and stolen his car keys
On the call the manager claimed that the four had remained at the premises and were now stalking the hallways terrorizing other tenants
The burglary suspect was taken to hospital in a critical but stable condition in the days after the incident, his current condition remains unclear
The fourth suspect, Henderson, allegedly ‘attempted to escape the perimeter by changing clothes and exiting the front of the apartment complex.’
He was later spotted by officers and taken into custody without incident, police confirmed.
All four men were charged with home invasion robbery, residential burglary and felony offense against a person over 65 years of age.
Both Flenoy and Henderson were also charged with personal use of a firearm during a felony.
The LAPD said they’re still continuing to investigate and analyze the incident and it could take up to a year.