An Arizona father has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly livestreamed his attack on a Department of Child Safety (DCS) officer.
DeAndre Terrell Johnson, 32, was also charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of unlawful escape, according to the Mesa Police Department.
According to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital, the attack occurred around 5 p.m. Monday when the department received a 911 call from witnesses in the lobby of the Mesa Tower near Alma School Road and Southern Avenue, where the DCS branch is located. It occurred.
The altercation was preceded by an hour-long meeting between Mr. Johnson and the DCS employee during which the two discussed serious allegations against Mr. Johnson in the public custody case against him. Johnson, who livestreamed the entire meeting, repeatedly asked workers to introduce themselves to viewers.
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DeAndre Johnson was charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and one count of unlawful escape. (Mesa Police Department)
When the two men stood up at the end of the meeting, Johnson asked if the worker could “give them a pat on the body.” When the other man leaned forward, Johnson grabbed him in a chokehold.
“You're dead,” Johnson repeatedly told the worker. According to investigators, the victim was strangled for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
At the scene, officers found a DCS officer lying on the ground with “obvious injuries” to his face. Witnesses said Johnson was strangled twice, and video of the incident shows the victim's eyes bulging as she drools and the muscles in her arms tense. is reflected.
The caseworker was in an “altered state of consciousness” when he was taken to an area hospital, according to court documents.
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After an hour-long interview, DeAndre Johnson allegedly choked the caseworker. (DeAndre Johnson on Facebook)
After dropping the unresponsive victim face-first onto the tile floor, Johnson told shocked onlookers: “Now call the police.” “I'll be waiting.”
“Does anyone think it's okay to take a little girl into her room?” Johnson said, breathing heavily and looking into the camera.
“Are you still breathing?” Johnson asked the unresponsive worker. “He's still breathing. I didn't say what I wanted to say.”
Johnson then wrapped his arm around the man's neck again, according to court documents. Footage shows bystanders shouting for him to be let go. He changed the camera angle multiple times to ensure the video captured the attack, forcing the victim's face into the frame.
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According to the video, Johnson turned the victim's face into the camera as the victim's eyes bugged out. (DeAndre Johnson on Facebook)
One bystander told Mr. Johnson, “You made your point,'' to which Mr. Johnson replied, “No, you didn't.''
Johnson then stood up, turned off the livestream, and exited the building.
Three hours later, when police tracked Johnson down near Scottsdale, he refused to stop and sped away, police said. Mesa police tried to use a grappler net on Johnson's car, but Johnson continued driving and broke the device. After attempting multiple PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuvers to stop the vehicle, officers were able to take the 32-year-old man into custody.
The victim later told police that she had spoken to Johnson about her daughter a week before the attack.
According to the video, Johnson dropped the victim face-first to the ground with a thud. (DeAndre Johnson on Facebook)
Johnson was able to calm the worker down by telling him, “I came to kill you. You're lucky that my daughter vouched for you.''
The worker told police he felt Johnson was “aggressive” during Monday's meeting. The victim said that when Johnson began strangling her father, she realized “he just wanted to kill me” and told police there was “no other reason” for his father's actions.
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The victim's doctor told police the injuries were “extremely serious” and the man “nearly died,” according to court documents.
Mr. Johnson is being held on $500,000 cash bail.
In a statement to 12News, a DCS spokesperson said the agency is “conducting a comprehensive investigation into this incident to prevent it from happening again.”
Mr Johnson was photographed breathing heavily and addressing witnesses after the attack. (DeAndre Johnson on Facebook)
“Yesterday, one of our professionals was attacked and assaulted in a horrifying manner by a parent at our Tempe/Gilbert field office,” a spokesperson told the outlet. “Although no weapon was used, the attack was so severe that the specialist had to be taken by ambulance for treatment. … The specialist has been discharged from hospital and is now with his family. We are relieved that they are recuperating together at home.”
“Our employees always do difficult work under difficult circumstances, but they do so with the goal of strengthening families and ensuring Arizona's children thrive. Our department is committed to keeping our employees safe as they perform this important work.”
