A man in North Carolina is accused of breaking into his former partner’s apartment and tragically stabbing his 5-year-old son to death before fleeing to a nearby Taco Bell.
The suspect, Jehaaz-Akil Khaliq Echoles, 31, is facing charges of first-degree murder, according to a statement from the Pineville Police Department released on Thursday.
Police were called to the Sabal Point Apartments in Pineville just after midnight on Thursday following reports of an assault with a weapon. Upon arrival, officers discovered the young victim suffering from multiple stab wounds.
In a bid to save the child’s life, the officers administered emergency medical treatment and rushed the victim to the hospital in their patrol car.
Jehaaz-Akil Khaliq Echoles, 31, has been charged with first-degree murder. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office)
The boy was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Echoles’ ex-girlfriend, who is also the child’s mother, said the man broke into the apartment, entered their son’s room and closed the door, according to an arrest affidavit, WGHP reported.
She said she heard a commotion and went to the bedroom and opened the door, at which point Echoles fled, according to the affidavit. She found her son bleeding and unresponsive, covered in stab wounds to his head, neck and arms, and she immediately called 911.
The woman and another child in the home were unharmed.
Officers responded shortly after midnight to the Sabal Point Apartments in Pineville for a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. (Google Maps)
Echoles was later arrested at a nearby Taco Bell, according to police.
Police said this was a domestic incident and not a random act of violence. The motive for the attack is unclear.
Echoles has a previous criminal history of assault.
Jehaaz-Akil Khaliq Echoles was arrested at a Taco Bell. (Getty Images)
This includes a conviction in North Carolina for assault on a woman in an October 2020 incident. He also has multiple other assault-related cases going through the court system.
He has been accused of two assaults on women this year. In one case, he allegedly beat a woman with a belt. In the other, he threw keys at a woman after he borrowed her car and refused to return it.
Echoles is being held in the Mecklenburg County Jail without bond. His next court date is scheduled for July 30.