VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach daycare facility was on edge Wednesday morning after a man tried to break into an administrator’s car and get inside its building as parents were dropping off their children.
A parent said she saw the man run away from the daycare facility toward a storage facility — AAAA Self Storage on Honeygrove Road — where Virginia Beach Police were called to the scene around 8:40 a.m. for a report of a man inside the facility who had pointed a handgun at someone else.
VBPD confirmed that officers shot the suspect, later identified as 18-year-old Shaun Marlar, who was being treated for his injuries at a local hospital. Marlar is said to be in serious but stable condition. Police are investigating the incident, but a preliminary investigation indicated that Marlar never fired his weapon, which was later found to have been a replica gun.
Marlar was then charged with two counts assault on a law enforcement officer and three counts of brandishing. No officers were injured, and all involved officers were placed on temporary Critical Incident Leave.
Police said two separate criminal investigations are ongoing due to the incident, one being conducted by VBPD, and one being conducted by the Virginia Beach Office of the Commonwealth Attorney (OCA).
Photos from the scene showed a heavy police presence and a parking lot taped off.
WAVY 10 was able to view surveillance footage of the incident through a window, which showed Marlar pointing what looked like a handgun at something. Marlar could then be seen appearing from behind a corner, where he then pointed an object at officers at the scene.
The Honeygrove Learning Academy issued a statement, detailing the suspect’s alleged break-in attempt to the administrator’s car and the childcare building.
We want to inform our parents about a security incident that occurred earlier today, shortly after 7:00 AM. A young white male was seen attempting to break into Ms. Kyrah’s car before trying to gain access to the center building. His suspicious behavior was first observed by a parent who had just dropped off her son. She noticed the individual “struggling to open” the car door and immediately alerted Ms. Kyrah.
In response, Ms. Kyrah opened the front door to address the situation. Upon being confronted, the individual ran off—only for another person, “presumably” the same individual, to return shortly wearing a different shirt and attempt to “open the front door” of the center. Fortunately, Ms. Kyrah kept the doors locked, preventing entry.
Honeygrove Learning Academy
Parents arriving to pick up their children from the daycare told 10 On Your Side the situation was scary.
“I’ve been trying to describe it all day, and I honestly cannot,” said parent Tiara Heyward-Brown. “A lot of it is the what if’s, like, what if he would have shot the door? What if he would have gotten through somehow? What if? My main thought was immediately like, ‘Are my kids OK?'”
The daycare and a nearby school, Old Donation School, were on lockdown as the situation unfolded. Everyone at the daycare was OK, but it was scary for Heyward-Brown.
Old Donation School issued a statement about the situation:
Old Donation School families,
We want to let you know we briefly put our school on an external lockdown this morning while police investigated an incident near our campus. This was done solely as a precaution, but you may see additional police patrols in the area. Please know that our students and staff are safe, and the external lockdown has been lifted. We are under normal operations now.
Thank you for your continued support.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools
“As a parent, the last thing you ever want is for your kid to be hurt, but for your kid to be in danger and you are not there to help them — that’s a whole other feeling,” Heyward-Brown said.
Daycare Owner Kyrah Ikpe described the incident to 10 On Your Side.
“He went to his waist, and that was the scariest thing, because I just thought he was going to shoot through my door,” Ikpe said. “And so when I saw that, I ran this way.”
Parent Evelyn Cooper arrived and tried to drop off her kids around 7:25 a.m. Ikpe told her to stay in her car, so she did.
“As I’m driving away, I see the same gentleman running behind me, and then he turns to the left and runs behind into the storage unit area after that,” Cooper said.
Jude Brenya with the Virginia Beach Police Department called the incident an “unfortunate situation.”
“I don’t think any officer in this profession wants to discharge their firearm,” Brenya said. “That’s something we don’t want to do. But sometimes, there’s a situation that dictates we do. That’s not something we want, that’s not something we like.”
Marlar’s next court date is scheduled to take place on Aug. 28.
