Fresno Police Chief explains how homicide suspect escaped police custody

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno's police chief is releasing new details about how a man arrested for murder escaped from police headquarters.

Ibn Haqq, 21, was taken into custody Friday and is accused of killing a man, but while in custody, Haqq managed to escape and has been on the run ever since.

Police Chief Jerry Dyer says detectives brought Haqq to police headquarters to be questioned about the murder. However, that interrogation took a turn for the worst when the suspect was left by himself for a few minutes and managed to get up while handcuffed, making his way out of a window on the first floor.

Armed and dangerous is how Dyer is describing Haqq. He was taken into custody Friday and is accused of shooting and killing 41-year-old Delon Agee in southwest Fresno last Wednesday.

But the key suspect brought in for questioning and handcuffed to a chair, quickly became a fugitive after two of the detectives stepped out of the room.

"The suspect was able to take the handcuff off the chair, and, at that time, started to make his way to a window in the interview room," Dyer explained.

When one of the detectives saw this on camera, both immediately ran back in. Haqq though had already kicked the screen off the window and was making his way out.

"They began to fight with him and struggle," Dyer said. "He had one of the handcuffs on his wrist but was able to escape and pull away from them and made his way through the window on the first floor."

The two detectives ran out a side door, hoping to catch up with Haqq, but he was nowhere to be found.

Officers spent the evening searching the area, creating perimeters and using K9 units to follow Haqq's scent. Still, two days later, the man believed to be responsible for murder is still on the run.

And Dyer says the department is asking for the public's help in getting him off the streets.

"He is wanted for a murder," he said. "He shot an individual within close proximity from him, and he was obviously not armed when he left headquarters, but we do know he has firearms."

And Dyer says the two detectives who left Haqq unattended are both veteran detectives who feel bad about what happened. He says the department is looking at putting some protocols in place to minimize the chance of this happening again.