By Joanna Putman
Police1
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — Newly released police body camera footage captured the dramatic moments when a woman and a teenage girl were held at knifepoint inside a Victoria’s Secret store in 2023, WSVN reported.
The swift actions of Miami Beach Police officers saved the lives of a woman and a teenage girl, according to the report.
The incident on July 27, 2023, unfolded when police received a call about a man holding two people hostage. When officers arrived, they evacuated the store and attempted to secure the scene. The body camera footage, released on July 23, shows the suspect, identified as Darien Young, holding the victims in a chokehold while officers worked to de-escalate the situation.
“She will die,” Young threatened as officers pleaded with him to drop the knife. Despite their efforts to reason with him, the suspect did not comply.
As the situation intensified, with Young pulling the hostages into a corner and threatening their lives, Officer Cory Jackson intervened and shot the man with a single bullet. The hostages were then able to escape unharmed, according to the report.
Young was an inmate who had escaped from a minimum-security New Hampshire Department of Corrections facility a week prior to the events, according to the report.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office reviewed the incident and concluded that Jackson was justified in using his weapon in defense of the hostages.
“Officer Cory Jackson’s courageous actions were instrumental in preserving the lives of two hostages,” Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne Jones stated.
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