Home intruder thwarted by 11-year-old with machete walks out of hospital, sheriff says
MEBANE, N.C. -- A 19-year-old man accused of entering a home in Mebane on Friday before being thwarted by an 11-year-old with a machete walked out of UNC Hospital on Saturday morning and is on the loose, according to Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood.
According to Blackwood, Jataveon Dashawn Hall slipped out of UNC Hospital wearing a hospital gown with a cup of water in his hand.
An Orange County official said Saturday that UNC Hospital in Hillsborough transferred Hall to UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill because of the severity of Hall's wound.
Shortly before 8 p.m. Friday night, a nurse entered Hall's room and discovered his bed empty. A review of videotape showed him walking out of the hospital wearing a hospital gown.
Orange County investigators, the SBI and U.S. Marshals are following up leads on his whereabouts.
Hall is 6 feet tall and weighs 135 pounds. His head was wrapped in a bandage when he walked out of the hospital.
Anyone with information on Hall's whereabouts, on this crime, or any other crime is urged to contact the Orange County Sheriff's Office at (919) 245-2900 or call 911 immediately. Do not attempt to approach the individual as we must consider him armed and dangerous.
On Saturday afternoon, UNC Health Care released a statement to ABC11 about the incident.
"UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill treated a patient suspected of several crimes in its Emergency Department (ED) Friday night. This patient was admitted to the ED, but was in the legal custody of the Orange County Sheriff's Department which did not place an officer with him. In similar situations, hospital staff will often alert law enforcement personnel when a suspect patient is discharged, but they remain the legal responsibility of law enforcement.
It is the responsibility of law enforcement to closely monitor the status of suspects in their custody while those patients are receiving medical treatment. UNC Hospitals personnel are working with the Sheriff's Department to offer them assistance in this matter."
The other suspects in the home-robbery attempt, a man and a woman, remain at large.
Original story
An 11-year-old boy in Orange County stopped the robbery in his home Friday by hitting the thief with a machete.
It happened Friday around 11 a.m. on Yarborough Road in Mebane.
Investigators said several people broke into the home and were trying to steal electronics.
The thieves forced the 11-year-old, who was home alone, into a bedroom closet at gunpoint.
Deputies say the boy, who is a star baseball player on several area teams, left the closet and found a machete in the home.
He went into his living room, according to investigators, swung the machete and hit the intruder in the back of the head.
The man retaliated by kicking the boy in the stomach. The boy got up, swung the machete and missed. The intruder then kicked the child in the side of the head, turned to grab several items, including a PlayStation and a television but realized he was bleeding significantly from the machete strike.
Investigators say he dropped the electronics, left the home and ran. The other two suspects ran off as well.
A short time later, investigators say a man matching the description the 11-year-old gave showed up at UNC Hospital in Hillsborough requesting treatment for an injury to the head.
"Not only did this youngster thwart the larceny attempt but he created blood evidence that very well may lead to a conviction in this case," said Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood. "This is a very tough kid who kept his wits about him. At the same time, I want to reflect that this youngster, his family and indeed this community, are very lucky this event did not have a tragic ending for the child."
Once apprehended, 19-year-old Jataveon Dashawn Hall will be charged with breaking and entering, second-degree kidnapping and assault on a child younger than 12.
"I was really upset about it because I don't like to be at home by myself because there are some things that happen around here," said Judy Jackson, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1973. "When we moved out here, there wasn't hardly anybody out here and it's growing."
