(The Center Square) – A man arrested after a Feb. 24 car chase incident likely will face additional charges, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Terry Neal Johnson, 45, of Brooklyn Park, has been charged with three felonies following the car chase, which began after a report of multiple shots fired and involved an injury of a neighbor in an adjoining residence of the townhome.
The details of the case are according to court documents Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Media Coordinator Lacey Severins sent The Center Square Thursday.
Police reported a bullet that struck the neighbor in the leg had passed through the wall into the neighbor’s residence. Neighbors reported multiple gunshots, police said. Police reported Johnson drove a white BMW car through the garage door as he fled the scene. Dashboard camera footage shows police pursued the car through a neighborhood near North Hennepin Community College for two minutes before it was driven into two police squad SUVs.
Johnson was charged with possession of ammunition or a firearm after being convicted or adjudicated delinquent of a crime of violence, second degree assault with a dangerous weapon-substantial bodily harm, and dangerous weapons-intentional discharge of firearm that endangered safety of another, the court documents said.
“The State will be seeking an upward durational departure as this case is more serious than other similarly situated offenses of possession of a pistol by an ineligible person, namely because Defendant discharged the weapon endangering the safety of others and because he actually injured another individual while illegally possessing the weapon,” the statement of probable cause said.
Midwest Bail LLC posted a $100,000 bond for Johnson Monday, prompting his release from custody.
Brooklyn Park Deputy Police Chief Mark Bruley told The Center Square in a phone interview March 4 the office has signaled it intends also to charge Johnson with fleeing a police officer and driving a car into police vehicles, which is second degree assault. While Bruley would have liked to see all those charges filed at the same time as the others, he told The Center Square it’s his understanding bail would not have been higher.
Bruley said two police officers sustained concussions and were released later that day. The officers returned to work Friday.
“We’re disappointed that’s he’s been released. The nature of his actions was unusually violent and reckless. And it concerns us for public safety. However, we recognize that Mr. Johnson is entitled to due process, and part of that process is the right to have bail set on him and be released awaiting his court date,” Bruley said.
Johnson is due in court before District Judge William Koch March 29, court documents said. The state’s request to remove Koch from the case was rejected by Assistant Public Defender Jessica Colbert March 1.
Bruley said he was unaware of those actions.
