Docs: Man arrested twice in 48 hours over gun theft, death threats against woman

INDIANAPOLIS – An Indianapolis man faces multiple charges after police say he threatened to kill a woman who put investigators on his trail.

Ajon Hall, 19, faces felony counts of possession of a machine gun and intimidation, as well as a misdemeanor count of resisting law enforcement.

Police arrested Hall twice in the span of a few days, according to court documents.

Case began with gun theft, Instagram posts

The investigation started on June 19, when a woman called 911 to report the theft of a firearm from a home on North Euclid Avenue and also heard gunshots being fired nearby.

The woman identified someone named “AJ” as the culprit. She showed detectives Instagram posts from “AJ” with various firearms, including three Glocks (one of which had a machine gun conversion device, also called a “Glock switch”), a selfie and a drum magazine.

Investigators recognized “AJ” as Hall, according to court documents.

Around 10:50 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, the same woman approached an IMPD officer to warn him that Hall was in the area, was armed with three handguns and had an active arrest warrant. He was wearing black jeans, a black sweatshirt and a face covering, according to court documents. She also said he was “flashing” several firearms he carried in a backpack.

Police were already on high alert for the night, as June 22 also marked Game 7 of the NBA Finals, meaning thousands of people were downtown for a watch party.

An officer went to check but didn’t find Hall near the hotel. The officer then went to Georgia Street, where he encountered a large crowd of people running away and saw Hall carrying a backpack. He tried to stop Hall, who immediately ran off.

Multiple officers went after Hall, who ignored commands to stop and ran into a nearby parking garage. During the ensuing foot pursuit, Hall ascended the stairs and dropped the backpack about 30 feet down into an inaccessible area.

Shortly after that, police found him attempting to hide between the third and fourth floors and took him into custody.

Backpack recovery

Hall was arrested on a preliminary charge of resisting law enforcement. However, because police couldn’t prove Hall had a gun (it was in the backpack he’d ditched), police couldn’t arrest him on a gun-related offense. He was booked into jail on Monday and released the same day.

While officers could see the backpack Hall dropped, they couldn’t reach it, as he’d dropped it into a “void space” that had no accessible door. A rope team from the Indianapolis Fire Department eventually lowered a firefighter into the area to retrieve it on June 24.

When police took custody of the backpack, they discovered a Glock with a machine gun conversion device and a drum magazine. The items matched the Instagram posts Hall had made earlier.

In a subsequent Instagram Live video, Hall referenced the backpack and said, “I know where I threw it at. They [referencing the police] got it,” according to court documents.

June 24 arrest

On June 24–the same day IFD retrieved the backpack–IMPD received a harassment complaint regarding Hall. The woman who had reported the firearm theft on June 19 said he had been “calling, messaging and live videoing threats to her and her family” since being released from jail, according to court documents.

She said they included death threats. The woman told police Hall blamed her for his arrest, as she had reported the gun theft and spotted him downtown prior to his arrest.

She told police Hall threatened to “come shoot up her house and kill her family” and was convinced he would act on his threats.

Members of the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force (ICGTF) tracked Hall to Gemini Drive on the evening of June 24 and and saw him get into the driver’s side of a car. They initiated a traffic stop and took him into custody. After obtaining a warrant, police discovered a Glock, marijuana and a pair of iPhones.

Police learned Hall had a protection order filed in February and was prohibited from carrying a gun. This led to his second arrest.

Hall had an initial hearing on Friday. He’s due in court this week for a bail review hearing.