Man on parole for trying to shoot at police arrested in carjacking

 

A 31-year-old man on parole for trying to shoot at police in 2003 was arrested early Thursday morning after carjacking one woman and trying to rob another on the West Side.
Artavis Johnson, of the 100 block of North Laramie Avenue in the South Austin neighborhood, is due in court today in connection with the attempted robbery and carjacking..
Police said Johnson carjacked a woman’s Chevy Equinox in the 3800 block of West Maypole Avenue in the East Garfield Park neighborhood about 11:30 p.m. Wednesay. A couple minutes later, he tried to rob a woman a few in the 3400 block of West Arthington Street Street in the Homan Square neighborhood, across the street from the Homan Square police station.
The Equinox Johnson’s accused of stealing had OnStar and the company was able to tell police the car was in the 1200 block of South Fairfield Avenue in the Douglas Park neighborhood.
Johnson’s girlfriend lives on the block and police spotted him walking when they arrived.
He was arrested and later admitted to throwing the gun off in a park, and the gun was never found. He was charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm and armed robbery with a firearm.
Johnson was convicted numerous felonies after he went on a crime spree in 2003 that ended with him trying to shoot a police officer.
While running from officers who stopped the car, which had been reported stolen, he pointed a gun at police and squeezed the trigger. The gun didn’t fire.

Johnson was sentenced to 16 years in prison for armed robbery, 12 years for aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon, five years for being a felon in possession of a firearm and three years for aggravated assault of a police officer with a firearm.
He was released from Illinois Department of Corrections custody in July 2012 and he was scheduled to have his parole discharged in July 2014.
Before the 2003 spree, Johnson was sentenced to 42 months in prison in 2002 for possession of narcotics and 2 years in prison in 2000 for the same charge.