Virginia Beach police said their hearts are with the victims as the investigation into the alleged actions of 22-year-old suspect Marquez Hasbrouck continues.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) said their hearts go out to the victims as the investigation into the alleged actions of 22-year-old suspect Marquez Hasbrouck continues.
VBPD officers shot and killed Hasbrouck on White Beam Court Saturday night after responding to a 911 call about a possible stabbing.
When police arrived, Hasbrouck was outside, armed with a 20-inch crowbar in one hand and a 27-inch metal rod in the other. Neighbors said the suspect then charged head-on at officers.
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“You could hear them yelling, ‘Drop it, drop it, drop it,’ and he didn’t drop it, he lunged at them,” said one neighbour, who asked not to be named. “They couldn’t stop him, they shot him with a Taser. It didn’t work.”
Virginia Beach police confirmed they used a Taser on Hasbrouck and made multiple attempts to de-escalate the standoff before finally firing their gun. Hasbrouck was later pronounced dead by Virginia Beach EMS.
Officers then went inside the home and found three victims inside, with neighbors saying one of the victims had been door-to-door asking for help minutes before officers arrived.
“An old lady came and rang the doorbell so I opened the door and she was hysterical and begging me to call 911 because her daughter had been stabbed,” the witness said.
Emergency responders transported two victims to hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries, and one woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police later identified the woman as 58-year-old Victoria Hasbrouck. Court records say she is the suspect’s adoptive mother, and this was not the first time Marques Hasbrouck had stabbed her.
“Shortly after they moved in, he attacked her and stabbed her. She went to the hospital and saw them take him away in handcuffs, but a few days later he was back,” the neighbour said.
Virginia Beach police arrested and charged Marquez with aggravated assault in 2017 after he allegedly stabbed his mother in the face with scissors, according to court records.
Investigators said Marquez admitted to committing the crime with “intent to kill” after an argument over playing video games and not taking medication.
Officers said he stabbed her multiple times in the face, intentionally targeting her eyes because he believed “they are soft.”
Neighbours said they wanted to remember Victoria as a mother who did the best she could.
“Before the police arrived she told me she had been working hard with him and this had happened,” the neighbour said. “She shouldn’t have had to go through this. She was a very good woman.”
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Multiple VBPD officers are currently on administrative leave as criminal and internal investigations are ongoing, after which all evidence will be turned over to the Virginia Beach State Attorney for further review.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said he supports his officers in a statement that read in part, “Responding to domestic incidents is one of the most dangerous aspects of our job and every encounter carries risks. As was the case last night, these situations are often volatile and unpredictable. We stand by our officers, the affected families and the community as we work together to get through this difficult time.”
This is an active and ongoing investigation.
