Mother begs son to return after escaping police custody
A local mother is begging her son to turn himself in after escaping police custody at Grady Memorial Hospital, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Aldontae Laron Armstead, 27, was in a room in the trauma center after he was injured during a fight with Fulton County police officers during his arrest.
One of those officers left Armstead unattended long enough for him to walk away, the news station reported.
His mother, Donna White, said she fears her son will be killed if he doesn’t turn himself in.
“That’s my main concern,” White told Channel 2. “I’m very scared for his life and I don’t want to be one of the mothers where they say, ‘Well, your son was killed in police custody and it’s OK.’ I’m afraid of that.”
Armstead was arrested Thursday on Fulton Industrial Boulevard, charged with on a sexual battery charge, human trafficking for sexual servitude, false imprisonment, a traffic violation, giving false information and, now, escape.
“Dontae, baby, don’t run,” White said on camera. “Stop running. Momma’s here and I got you baby. Don’t run.”
White told Channel 2 she heard her son was punched in the face and dragged by his hair, which is how he ended up in the Emergency Room.
She said she believes he’s running because he’s scared and that he wasn’t guilty of the original charges because his ex-girlfriend made up the sexual battery allegations to get revenge on Armstead.
“It’s very upsetting because this is my baby and I love him so much and to know some kind of way he’s gotten mixed up in all of this, he’s really a good kid,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Fulton County Police Department told Channel 2 the arresting officer did not secure Armstead properly when he stepped out of the hospital room. They said the incident is under investigation and the officer could be disciplined.
