REPEAT OFFENDER Ex-Con Allen Johnson indicted for possession of a gun that injured Baltimore City Officer he fought during an arrest   

REPEAT OFFENDER Ex-Con Allen Johnson indicted for possession of a gun that injured Baltimore City Officer he fought during an arrest

BALTIMORE, MD.  – A federal grand jury indicted Allen Johnson, 35, of Baltimore City, Maryland, on April 19, 2018, on charges relating to his possession of a firearm that discharged while Baltimore City Police Officers were placing him into custody.  Johnson was prohibited from possessing a firearm at the time because he had sustained at least one previous felony conviction.  The indictment charges Johnson with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person; possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur who released details of the indictment, including that on November 29, 2017, officers of the Baltimore City Police Department received information that Johnson was in the 800 block of Bridgeview Avenue in Baltimore City and was armed with a firearm hidden in his waistband. 

Police officers responded to the 800 block of Bridgeview Avenue and observed Johnson.  Officers approached Johnson and asked him if he was in possession of a firearm.  Johnson then turned away from the officers and reached for his waistband.

One of the officers grabbed Johnson from behind as Johnson continued to reach for his waistband.  The police officer wrestled Johnson to the ground and, during the struggle, the firearm that was in Johnson’s possession discharged, striking the police officer in his right hand.  Other officers were able to utilize Taser devices to subdue Johnson and place him under arrest.  Subsequent to his arrest, Johnson was searched and police officers retrieved numerous vials of narcotics.  The injured police officer was taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

As the life celebration was taking place for slain Baltimore Police Detective Sean Suiter, a ‘signal thirteen’ emergency call for an officer down blared across police emergency frequencies.

Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said two uniformed police officers assigned to the Southern District Action Team were in the 800 block of Bridgeview Road, where they observed a man behaving suspiciously. Davis said the officers approached the man, who was armed with a gun.

“At least two officers struggled with the gunman in an effort to take his gun from him. The gunman made every effort … to hold on to his firearm as the officers were trying to disarm the gunman. At some point during the brief struggle, the gunman discharged one round and it struck one of our two police officers in the palm of his hand,” Davis said.

POLICE BODY CAM SHOWS SUSPECT SECONDS BEFORE SHOOTING

Baltimore City Police press conference on Nov. 30, 2017, about the shooting of a Police Officer by Allen Johnson Jr.