A 17-year-old Florida teenager, Jahara Malik, is currently in custody after allegedly stabbing her boyfriend, Yahkeim Lollar, to death in a parking garage. The incident occurred just days before Christmas during what was described as a playful altercation involving a knife. Malik is facing a manslaughter charge with a deadly weapon for the death of Lollar, also 17, on December 20 in Miami. She is being held at the Miami-Dade County jail with a bond set at $50,000.
According to the arrest affidavit, Miami police were called to a reported stabbing at Lollar’s apartment complex parking garage located in the 6100 block of Northwest Sixth Court. Lollar was quickly transported to a hospital, but unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries.
The affidavit further reveals that Malik had planned to go shopping with a friend on the day of the incident. Unable to locate her usual pepper spray for protection, she opted for a knife instead. After her shopping trip, she met Lollar in the parking garage where the two began to “horseplay,” resulting in Lollar being stabbed in the chest.
Surveillance footage from the scene allegedly shows Malik dropping the knife in the parking garage. Part of Malik’s statement to the police was redacted from the affidavit. A few weeks after the incident, a medical examiner officially ruled Lollar’s death a homicide.
During a bond hearing, Malik’s attorney highlighted that she had stayed at the scene to provide aid after the stabbing. The attorney also noted that Malik had no prior arrests and insisted that the stabbing was unintentional. Reports from NBC affiliate WTVJ indicate that Malik will be tried as an adult.
The victim’s father, Darveed Lollar, expressed his grief and frustration over the incident, stating that his son’s life was taken unnecessarily. The family has expressed their dissatisfaction with the time it took to arrest Malik, despite her being identified as the responsible party early on.
“They couldn’t find something to charge her with the night of when there was no question as to what happened or who done this, so I mean it’s, right now, it’s a little bittersweet,” Darveed Lollar said.