AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — A woman managed to escape after being held hostage for hours inside her South Sable Boulevard apartment last week.
Her call to 911 triggered a multi-agency police response that ended with drones in the sky, a K-9 on the ground and the suspect in custody.
Last Monday night, officers quickly arrived after the victim said she was being held hostage by her boyfriend. The suspect, 29-year-old Benlly Leon-Escalona, had the door chained shut. The moment he cracked it open, officers say he didn’t surrender, but ran.
“Over the last 24 hours, she was basically a victim of domestic violence, including the last six hours, ultimately being held hostage by who she thought was somebody that she cared about, being locked in a closet, ultimately in their apartment and basically being kept hostage in their own place,” said Matthew Longshore, public information officer with Aurora police.
Police pursued the suspect into open fields near 2nd and Evanston.
“With it almost being midnight that this all kind of happened. So the darkness, the openness, certainly things to consider,” said Longshore.
Officers used drones with night vision and the real-time information center to track the suspect.
“So, combine that with our K-9, they don’t mess around,” said Longshore. “Those guys are able to track the people. They bit the guy. We wanted to make sure that we got this guy into custody.”
Leon-Escalona was arrested after the chase. The victim managed to escape to a neighbor’s house to call 911 to help set everything in motion.
“I believe she told the suspect that she had to go pick up her kids,” said Longshore. “So, it was just that quick thinking on her part. We certainly commend her.”
Officers say releasing the body camera footage shows that Aurora police will put resources into finding and holding suspects involved in domestic violence accountable.
“We want to make sure that we have resources that are available to you. Please don’t ever hesitate calling for help,” said Longshore. “Whether that’s help through the police department, whether that’s help through other community resources, help is out there. We want to make sure that you can go to the courts and get restraining orders. You can call 9-1-1 and get the police out there to get help.”
Officers say the victim is expected to be OK, although there may be a long road to recovery mentally.
Leon-Escalona now faces multiple charges, including kidnapping, criminal tampering, obstruction, domestic violence and assault. He is currently being held at the Arapahoe County Detention Center without bond.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
