Riverside Police Department Press Release

Man Arrested for Attempted Murder of Two Step-Sons
 

Riverside, Ca-  On Sunday, December 21, 2003, at about 1:40 AM, officers responded to the Church’s Chicken at 1886 University regarding a possible gunshot victim. The 24 year-old male victim, who had received superficial injuries to his face, claimed he and his 28 year-old brother, both from Perris, were shot at by their step-father.

Victims stated they were at a Christmas party last night at their mother’s house on Two Trees Road near the UCR area of Riverside. Late in the evening, the two brothers were leaving the house as their stepfather, identified as John William Johnson, 37, was becoming belligerent. As they walked out of the house, the stepfather fired two shots from a handgun at point blank range, barely missing the brothers. The brothers ran to their car to flee the residence, and the stepfather chased after them, firing three additional shots into the driver’s side of the car.

Officers responded to the residence on Two Trees and attempted to contact the suspect. As they were approaching the residence, the officers observed a subject appear to run inside the house who they assumed was the suspect. At that time officers secured a perimeter around the residence and made numerous attempts for several hours to establish contact with the suspect. After no success, the SWAT team was called to the scene.

SWAT officers arrived and took over the scene. At approximately 8:30 AM, while developing a plan to make entry into the residence, it was learned that the suspect was possibly at a nearby apartment on Iowa. The apartment apparently was rented by an acquaintance of the suspect. The acquaintance had allowed the suspect in his apartment, but called the police after hearing on his police scanner that John Johnson was wanted. Sergeant Bruce Blomdahl responded to the apartment with a team of SWAT officers who took the suspect into custody without incident.

The suspect was booked for two counts of attempted murder into the Robert Presley Detention Center.