Posted on 06/17/2002 2:55:49 PM PDT by Veggie Todd
NEW YORK — A heavily armed black man allegedly shot three people and tried to set patrons at a Manhattan bar on fire Sunday before being wounded by officers and arrested in what police said was a racially motivated attack.
Steven Johnson, 34, was charged with attempted murder after what Police Commissioner Ray Kelly described as a "very bizarre crime by this deranged individual."
Johnson was carrying three loaded guns, 153 rounds of ammunition and a samurai sword when he approached four white people walking in the East Village and told them: "I have a problem with you," Kelly said.
Johnson shot one of the men in the upper body, followed him as he ran to the door of the bar and shot him again, police say. Johnson then entered the bar and ordered up to 40 patrons to the kitchen, police said.
A 54-year-old Asian man who owns a store next to the bar heard the shots and peeked in, and Johnson shot him in the wrist, police said.
Johnson, who was also carrying a police baton, a bottle of kerosene, a fireplace lighter and more than 100 plastic handcuffs, then allegedly forced a woman to start putting flex cuffs on the hostages while he sprayed the crowd with kerosene and fired occasional shots at police cars outside.
Witnesses told police that Johnson was "ranting about white people and vowed revenge for thousands of years of suffering." Johnson said that he was having "fun" and that "a real man chooses when he dies," Kelly said.
When Johnson pulled out the lighter, two Manhattan women jumped him, and he shot one in the leg, police said. Officers heard the shots and stormed the bar, grazing Johnson in the head and taking him into custody.
"Those two women did the right thing, a very important thing ... they were very brave," Kelly said.
Johnson was charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He had not retained a lawyer; he was in police custody Sunday evening and was unavailable for comment. There was no telephone listing for him at the address provided by police.
One victim was hospitalized in serious condition, while the other two were in stable condition. The suspect was in stable condition, police said.
Johnson lives in Brooklyn with his 10-year-old son and has been despondent since his wife died in March, neighbors told investigators.
Police who searched his home said they found a note taped to a wall that said, "Tell the boys in blue I won't be easy."
Sorry. No way it can be a hate crime, since only those "in power" can commit hate crimes, and we all know that guys like him are not empowered in our society. (The guns, ammo, sword and baton, etc. don't count).
Gosh, I hope this doesn't disqualify him from getting a downpayment for a new home from "taxpayer dollars."</sarcasm
At this point, Mr. Johnson would have been struck with about 30 rounds of ammo----if he had tried to pull this in a bar in Texas.
This story will disappear faster than...[please complete]
Terrorists are now minorities.
They killed thousands of non-minorities on 9.11
Which is why we need to release Padilla, Johnny Jihad and the Guantonamo residents. They are innnocent, always.
Police: Man shoots 3 in racial attack
June 17, 2002 Posted: 5:18 AM EDT (0918 GMT)
NEW YORK (AP) -- A heavily armed black man allegedly shot three people and tried to set fire to patrons at a trendy Manhattan wine bar before he was overpowered by two women and arrested -- capping a bizarre outburst of violence that police said was racially motivated.
Steven Johnson, 34, was wounded by officers before being charged with attempted murder following what marked the latest in a series of violent crimes in downtown Manhattan.
He was carrying three loaded guns, 153 rounds of ammunition and a samurai sword when he approached four white people walking in the East Village on Sunday at about 2 a.m. and told them: "I have a problem with you," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.
Johnson shot one of the men, Jonah Brander, in the upper body, followed him as he ran to the door of the bar and shot him again, police said. Johnson then entered the bar and ordered up to 40 patrons to the kitchen, police said.
Shoji Iso, a 54-year-old Asian man who owns a store next to the bar, heard the shots and peeked in, and Johnson shot him in the wrist, police said.
Johnson then allegedly forced a woman to start putting plastic handcuffs on the hostages while he sprayed the crowd with kerosene and fired occasional shots at police cars outside.
Witnesses told police that Johnson was "ranting about white people and vowed revenge for thousands of years of suffering." Johnson said that he was having "fun" and that "a real man chooses when he dies," Kelly said.
After Johnson pulled out a fireplace lighter, Annie Hubbard and Ann Margaret Gidley, both of Manhattan, tackled Johnson, and he shot Hubbard in the leg, police said.
Gidley, 23, told the Daily News that she knew she had to act.
"It was do something or die," she said. "I didn't think it was time to go yet."
Officers heard the shots and stormed the bar, grazing Johnson in the head with a bullet and taking him into custody 45 minutes after the ordeal began.
"Those two women did the right thing, a very important thing ... they were very brave," Kelly said.
The violence came just days after a burglar broke into two apartments in the Lower East Side on Wednesday and shot three people to death, including an 86- year-old man and his 88-year-old wife. In April, a man was shot in the face during a robbery attempt in Greenwich Village.
Police said Johnson, who has AIDS, apparently wanted to be shot by police or to die in a fire, and left a suicide note for his 10-year-old son at his apartment.
Johnson was charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He had not retained a lawyer; he was in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital Sunday evening and was unavailable for comment. There was no telephone listing for him at the address provided by police.
The three victims were also taken to Bellevue. Brander, 28, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, was in serious condition Sunday; Hubbard, 34, and Iso were stable.
Johnson had been despondent since his wife died in March, neighbors told investigators. He has an arrest record dating to 1985 that includes weapons violations, larceny and drug possession.
Police who searched his Brooklyn apartment said they found a note taped to a wall that said, "Tell the boys in blue I won't be easy."
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
How come they don't mention the words "hate crime"?
Nothing to see...move along...nothing to see...move along...
Occurs to me that Johnson by these words was distinguishing himself from the homosexuals who fill the East Village and whom I suspect he was targeting. Johnson has AIDS, and I believe that's what his wife died of. Instead of blaming himself for infecting her, I suspect he chooses to blame white homosexuals, who are perhaps the source of his AIDS.
Who says this is not a hate crime?
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