Man accused of livestreaming attack on DCS caseworker in Mesa

MESA, AZ  — A man is in custody, accused of attacking an Arizona Department of Child Safety caseworker and livestreaming it on social media.

Mesa authorities say 32-year-old De’Andre Terrell Johnson was arrested for the crime earlier this week.

On Monday, Mesa police received multiple 911 calls from witnesses who reported that Johnson was choking another man in the lobby of “The Mesa Tower,” located near Alma School Road and Southern Avenue. The building houses a branch of the DCS.

When authorities arrived at the scene, they found the victim lying on the ground with “obvious injuries” to his face, police say. Witnesses said Johnson choked the victim twice.

According to court documents, the victim is a caseworker who was working on a case involving Johnson’s daughter.

Authorities say Johnson recorded the meeting with the caseworker and livestreamed it on Facebook. Investigators described the recording as “extremely graphic” and clear, stating that Johnson is “very identifiable” in the livestream.

Court documents say the video shows the two men discussing the case when the victim started to walk away at the end of the meeting. Suddenly, Johnson wraps his arms around the victim’s neck and puts him in a chokehold, telling him “you’s a dead man” multiple times.

Investigators say the victim was in the chokehold for two minutes and 30 seconds.

Mesa investigators say during this time, the victim is seen on camera with his eyes bulging, drooling and arm muscles tensing. Multiple bystanders told Johnson to let the victim go. Once the victim was unconscious, Johnson let him go and dropped him face-down onto the tile.

Johnson reportedly stands over the caseworker until he begins to move slightly. He then says, “You still breathing?” and “he’s still breathing, I didn’t make my [expletive] point.” Court documents say Johnson then wrapped his arm around the victim’s neck again as bystanders yelled at him to let the man go.

One bystander told Johnson, “You made your point,” to which he responded, “No I didn’t,” before bending over the victim. He then stood up, turned off the livestream and left.

DCS Deputy Director David Lujan says the video shows how dangerous case workers’ jobs can be.

“It’s very difficult to watch,” said Lujan. “I think what was really telling about the video is that case worker had more than an hour-long conversation where they are talking calmly. Things seem to be going OK, they fist bump to say good bye, and then just out of the blue this happens.”

Authorities tracked Johnson’s vehicle to Scottsdale, near McDowell and Scottsdale roads, and pulled him over. However, Johnson refused to stop and sped away from police.

Mesa detectives attempted to use a grappler on Johnson’s vehicle, but he continued driving and broke the grappler net. Officers attempted multiple pit maneuvers and eventually took Johnson into custody.

Authorities interviewed the victim, who said he spoke with Johnson a week prior about his daughter.

In that conversation, he allegedly told the caseworker, “I came here to kill you; you’re lucky my daughter vouched for you.” In that instance, the caseworker was able to calm Johnson down.

On the day of the attack, the two men agreed to meet to discuss the services available to Johnson.

Court documents say the victim felt he was “being aggressive” and tried to calm him down. However, when Johnson grabbed and choked him, the victim said, “he just wants to kill me.” The victim said there was “no other reason” for Johnson’s behavior.

Investigators spoke to the victim’s doctor, who said his injuries were “absolutely serious, he almost died,” court paperwork states.

The injured case worker is out of the hospital and back home recovering.

Johnson was booked on one count of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of unlawful flight.

He has been arrested before for aggravated assault and drug possession.

The incident raises new concerns about the safety of DCS staff members when they meet with parents and other family members.

Via AZ FAMILY