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30-year-old murder suspect, Christopher Haynes, was initially arrested on September 6, 2023, in Manassas, Virginia. He, however, managed to escape law enforcement officials on the same day and was on the run until October 26, 2023. He was finally taken into custody again on Thursday after officials found him in an apartment in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
He was originally taken into custody in connection to a fatal shooting. The victim he allegedly killed was identified as Brent Hayward.
Christopher Haynes initially escaped from a hospital, where he was taken after he complained of pain in his ankle
On August 12, Christopher Haynes allegedly shot Brent Hayward to death. He was ultimately arrested on September 6 in Virginia. However, shortly after the arrest, Haynes complained that he was in pain as his ankle was hurt from a previous injury. Authorities soon took him to a hospital near George Washington University for medical assistance.
When Haynes was in the hospital, two police officers were assigned to him. However, Haynes escaped at about 3:38 pm local time, when one of the officers was changing the suspect's handcuffs in the hospital's hallway, as per People. Christopher Haynes allegedly assaulted him and fled the site with one handcuff still on his wrist. The officers tried to get hold of him but failed.
The Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement and said:
"Both officers chased Haynes but were unable to catch him."
After his escape, the FBI announced a reward of $30,000 for anyone who had significant information about his whereabouts. Finally, on Thursday, authorities arrested him off of Iverson Street in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Haynes maintains his innocence
The US Marshals Office told FOX 5 that even on Thursday, Christopher Haynes attempted to escape from the police. However, he surrendered after seeing the number of officials surrounding him.
While the Metropolitan Police Department is yet to release additional details about how they tracked him down, they have praised the members of the community who helped them locate the suspect.
Brent Hayward's mother, Sheila Jackson, spoke to FOX 5 after Haynes was apprehended for the second time and expressed relief as she said:
"I just started crying... It was just like a big weight off my shoulders. I have a lot more confidence in our government, police force, detectives. I just have a lot more confidence in our world."
However, Haynes maintained his innocence as he appeared in court on Friday for his arraignment on murder charges. Nikki Lotze, his attorney, told WUSA9:
"Mr. Haynes maintains his innocence and looks forward to resolving the matter."
Upon digging into the suspect's background, officials learned that he had a record of physically assaulting police officers. As per Fox 5 DC, in 2020, after being accused of attempting to hit three cops with his car, Haynes pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted malicious wounding on law enforcement officers.
