Neighbors Defend Former Marine Who Fatally Choked Car Thief

Daillard Paris (left) allegedly strangled suspected car thief Yaosse Agbokou (right).

The Queens DA is considering filing charges against a former marine who killed an alleged car thief Saturday night in Queens. Daillard Paris was inside his home around 10 p.m. taking a quick break from shoveling his Nissan Altima out of the snow when cab driver Yaosse Agbokou, 50, allegedly tried to steal the idling vehicle. But wen the car got stuck in the snow, Paris managed to drag Agbokou out and get him into a headlock, eventually strangling him death. Last night neighbors in St. Albans defended Paris.

"Let me put it this way. That's one less one we have to worry about," neighbor Martin Julius tells ABC News. "Sometimes you do these things and you don't mean to do it. You're trying to defend yourself and these things happen," another neighbor told the news program. Speaking to reporters yesterday, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "The reports are that this individual who owned this car saw somebody steal his car. He did grab him about the head in headlock punched him about the head."

Paris's mother also claims Agbokou, a Togolese immigrant, was biting her son, telling the Post, "I heard him say, 'Help! Help!' I'm lucky the police came right away. The guy was biting him and choking." But yesterday Agbokou's cousin accused police of joining in the fatal beating, and told the Times Agbokou "had blood all over his face and was missing a tooth, and it appeared that his jaw had been broken." A neighbor of Agbokou, who resided two blocks away from Paris, tells ABC, "I know him. He seems to be a quiet person. It's hard to believe. Hard to believe that he was breaking into a car."

Watch the ABC report from St. Albans below:

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on March 2, 2010 9:11 AM

Comments [rss]

butterbutter

Altima's are for girls.

grifforama

are you sure the commissioner said this ?

He did grab him about the head in headlock punched him about the head

theLtrain

Wait, I can't believe Gothamist isn't rallying behind this guy?

This guy was shoveling his car out of snow outside of his OWN house and some miscreant tried to steal it...right under his nose.

He was beaten and died because of it, oh well. Guess what. If he hadn't been trying to STEAL SOMEONES FUCKING CAR OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOUSE he'd still be ripping off tourists in manhattan in his cab.

robingee

Was he stealing the car to feed his starving family?

ed_Extinct

A choke hold is a pretty common way to subdue a person in self defense. Here's what could have happened:

Had the thief succeeded and stolen the car, he could have killed a pedestrian, transported illegal goods, crashed it etc. Should Paris be charged? Of course we do not know all the details, but it seems like no, he should not be charged—it was defense. You'd all be singing a much different tune had there been a child in the car.

Sadly, however, there's a chance the grand jury may indict due the fact that he is in fact a Marine and his mind and body has been trained as a weapon. It wouldn't be the first time a person in the Military would be indicted and possibly convicted of murder or assault for self defense.

JenChungsNewBra

Let me put this way: " I'm a marine, we don't plan, we improvise"

Bernie Madoff-Goetz

The ex-Marine could easily have detained the thief in a less lethal manner. Sock him around a little, sit on the fucker and call the cops. Better yet, trap him inside the immovable car and call the cops. Someone without military training unintentionally strangling someone to death is believable. An ex-Marine not so much.

suchashame

That is exactly what he did. The guy died later, not right there on the spot.

hotstepper

this story certainly brings the internet tough guys out of the woodwork.

billybob

Someone killed over a worthless 9 year old Nissan Altima. Reminds of when kids were being shot for their Air Jordans. Murder is murder, this meathead should and will be in prison.

40oz.killa

If you see some one attempting to steal your car, just call the NYPD.

Pachinko

In America, if a thief enters your home wielding a weapon, an you shoot him, and he survives, he can turn around and sue you. You end up jailed, and he ends up free. So, the moral of the story is, after you shoot and he is still alive, shoot again.

FrankMartin

That isn't entirely true; Louisiana and a number of other states have "Kill the Burglar" "kill the carjacker" statutes. Homeowners can use deadly force against intruders in the home, without any obligation to retreat, if the homeowner reasonably believes that the intruder might use any unlawful force against anyone in the home.

rdayk

These laws vary by state. In New York, you cannot kill or harm a person in defense of property, only if they pose a threat of "imminent danger of harm" to your person, and only if you are unable to "retreat" to a safer location. So if someone breaks into your home and steals everything you own, you cannot lawfully use force to prevent them from doing so. Only if they move to harm or kill you, demonstrating that you are in "imminent danger," can you legally use force. Unofrutnately, by the time you can prove you are in "imminent danger," it's often too late to save yourself. If some stranger were to break into my home, I'd consider myself in danger just by virtue of them forcing their way into my house, but according to NYS law, I have to wait until they actually begin to hurt me before I can legally use force to defend myself.

LaliP

in my native land of texas, if anyone is on your property (including the inside of your vehicle) you have a right to defend yourself and your property. you would not be punished if you shot a thief in your vehicle.

that's sad that the thief died, but that sometimes happens. people who rob banks sometimes get shot. if someone attempted to assault me, they'd get a knife in their throat.

mr. paris didn't go out looking for someone to kill, or on a murder spree or anything. i think the investigation should be dropped.

the immigrant messed with the wrong dude is all that happened.

verbal

They should name the street after this hero, and the 'victims' family should have to pay for it too.

Kelles

Sure, it'll be called "UTAKECARIKILLU" Street.

ProcedureTurn

I'm cahhh-doe-lee-na the reporter.LOL I love how they like to pronounce their names. Wjhat happened to Carolina - like the state?

Mordicai

Without knowing how the brawl went down, it is hard to say; I'd like to think that he should be brought up on manslaughter charges & then vindicated of them; that seems like orderly justice.