Scottsdale dad accused of livestreamed attack on Child Safety worker in Mesa
An Arizona Department of Child Safety employee was nearly killed Tuesday afternoon during a case interview with a father who perpetrated the attack while livestreaming it on Facebook, according to court documents.
The father, identified by authorities as De'Andre Terrell Johnson, 32, of Scottsdale, is accused of the following charges: attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault of a judicial officer, aggravated assault with physical injury and unlawful flight from pursuing law enforcement vehicle, according to charging documents.
The attack unfolded in Mesa when Johnson was meeting with a department caseworker in the area of South Alma School Road and West Southern Avenue in the lobby of a building that houses a branch of the state agency, court documents said. The men were talking about Johnson's daughter before the session concluded and the father then put the caseworker in a chokehold while livestreaming the 21⁄2-minute attack onto Facebook from his cellphone, charging documents detailed.
"You's a dead man," Johnson is heard saying and then later adds, "You still breathing," according to court documents.
The charging documents describe the caseworker during the attack as having his eyes bulging, drooling and his arm muscles tensing. The caseworker was taken to the hospital, from which he has since been released, the Arizona Department of Child Safety told The Arizona Republic on Thursday.
The child safety agency told The Republic there was no security personnel with the caseworker due in part to cost-cutting efforts.
The victim's injuries were "absolutely serious, he almost died," a doctor told police, court documents said.
Johnson was apprehended within a few hours after he led police on a chase following a traffic stop, charging documents noted. Johnson is being held at a Maricopa County jail on a $500,000 bond, according to court records.
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Republic reporter Mary Jo Pitzl contributed to this report.
