MCLEAN, Virginia (WUSA) — The suspect in a bank robbery who was shot to death by police during a chase Wednesday morning has been identified as Brook Hailu, 19, of McLean. He is the son of one of Ethiopia’s former top diplomats in the U.S.
Brook Hailu Beshah served as Ethiopia’s Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington from 2001-2004, and served as Acting Ambassador in 2004. After that he served as Permanent Deputy Delegate to UNSECO. Currently Beshah is a professor of Security Policy Studies at George Washington University.
Several grief-stricken relatives and community members went to the McLean townhouse where the former Ambassador’s son had been living on Thursday. None was willing to speak with reporters concerning the death of the young Hailu.
Wednesday morning’s armed robbery of a McLean bank led to the police vehicle and foot chase which in turn led to the fatal shooting of Hailu in a quiet North Arlington neighborhood.
Fairfax County Police say the BB&T branch in the Chesterbrook Shopping Center on Old Dominion Drive was held up by one armed suspect at 11:21 Wednesday morning. The suspect fled from the bank with a bag of money in a car. As he departed the first police unit responding to the bank spotted the car. A chase ensued on Old Dominion Drive.
At the corner of Old Dominion and Valley Wood Road, the suspect’s Honda struck a utility poll and he fled on foot carrying the money bag.
In North Arlington, near Williamsburg Middle School, several neighbors reported seeing a suspicious man running with a bag. Fairfax County officers intercepted him and began foot pursuit.
Police say the suspect “displayed” his gun at police. Several shots were fired just down the block from Williamsburg Middle School. Hailu was struck and killed.
Williamsburg Middle was placed on lockdown for more than an hour until the situation clarified.
Fairfax County Police will conduct the investigation of the bank hold up as well as an internal affairs investigation of the shooting to determine whether it complied with police department policy. Arlington County Police will conduct the criminal investigation of the Fairfax County police shooting to determine if any charges are warranted.
Written by Gary Reals
9NEWS NOW
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very sad , I hate to hear that my people involving this kind of things
December 15th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
VERY UNFORTUNATE TO HEAR THAT KIND OF INSANE ACTIVITY AS WELL AS TRADGEDY TO THE FAMILY.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
It is really a sad story for our ethio people being involved in this kind of activity. It would have been good to catch him alive and tourcher, hehe.
December 16th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Please don’t always believe the police. It’s very common for white police people to execute Black and Brown men who are suspects in a crime. I doubt very seriously this fellow “displayed” any such weapon, as Fairfax County Police have a long storied history of running red lights and killing pedestrians, “accidentally” shooting unarmed suspects who never had a record of violent crime, and so on.
Be careful not to automatically judge our people first.
December 18th, 2008 at 2:26 am
I feel sorry for the parents. The father is considered as educated but his son was found in this kind of rediculous act and he got paid. Let God bless his soul. It should be my first time when I heard a rubbery of Ethipian Man. Was he living with the Parents? I think the father already abandoned the son. He supposed to be in a University or any school. His engagement was totally wrong. It is a sham and it is a sad story.
December 18th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Our deepest condolences to Professor Brook Hailu and his family. May God give all of you strength and perseverance to deal with this tragedy. Yared & family
December 19th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I t is realy sad to see traitors insulting, poor Ethiopian adolecent dead kid and worse greaving family mambers.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
so what if the father is a diplomat, or was/is in a powerful position. his son is/was a thug/criminal and put society in danger, because of his stupid actions. The police only were doing their job. They are trained to stop the threat. Actually Fairfax County Police are very nice and professional to its citizens who follow the law. Lets not make this a race issue either. The man did not listen to the police officers, so the police only did what they had to do. End of Story. I feel sorry for the father, but not for his son.
December 22nd, 2008 at 7:09 am
His father was an assistant instructer at Addis Abeba University, Political Science Department in the early 1980s.
As one of his students I obtained a considerable knowledge from his lively lectures.
Assitant lecturer Brook Hailu then(now a professor of security policy studies) was humble, industrios, very friendly and cooperative with us.
Brook has a PhD.on information communication . He is versatile in politics and academic resaeches.
As his former student I was heart-broken when I heared the tragic death of his son.I pass condolences to the family!
December 28th, 2008 at 9:01 am
I feel it is very sad. I am not ethiopian, I am American, and I actually live in the same neighborhoud where the young man was shot dead. It must be terrible for his parents. I do understand how people fear for their children when an armed person runs towards a school, in an attempt to flee from police chasing him for a bank robbery. In America memories of school shootings and deaths are all too vivid, never really go dry because there are many of these incidents. People who have children in Williamsburg school were no doubt afraid for the lives of their children who were there and some I personally talked with said the police did the right thing. It is surely terrible that an armed frightened robber was on the loose just around the corner of my house at a time when I was actually also on the street nearby. Well, anyone would fear for their children and themselves in such an uncertain and out of control situation. However, couldn’t the police have shot in the legs, for example? Instead of killing him? If they could so well shoot to death while a person is running, can’t they shoot to just stop the person but not kill him? I think the boy was punished by being killed for the possibility that he might have killed someone. His actual crime was robbery – even though, yes, he also posed danger to the neighborhood at large in those frightening moments when he was fleeing armed. I just feel that death is too much a punishment for steeling. Normally people are prisoned for that, but the police here acted as the police, the judge and the executor all at once. It is just terrible, whichever way one looks at it.
March 11th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Do not blame the police and make stupid exuces for robber. Black robber, white robber, police white or black, no matter. Man with gun? Dangerous. If robber was not son of famous person, would you read of it? What must be remarked is that Ethio was involved in crime, not the way for the people of Menelik!
April 4th, 2009 at 3:51 pm