Teen gets probation for shooting at pedestrians in downtown Lawrence in incident that was caught on video; DA had objected to use of the word ‘criminal’

Treyvon D. Johnson is pictured during a sentencing hearing in Douglas County District Court on April 24, 2023. Johnson was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault for firing a gun at two pedestrians in downtown Lawrence.

A Lawrence teen was sentenced to two years of probation for firing a gun at two pedestrians in downtown Lawrence in an incident that was caught on camera by a police patrol car.

The teen, Treyvon D. Johnson, 19, pleaded no contest on Feb. 27 to two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The charges relate to an incident on Aug. 28, 2022, when Johnson was hanging out of the passenger window of a car near 11th and Vermont streets and fired at two pedestrians he had been in an argument with, as the Journal-World reported.

While Johnson was firing the gun, a Lawrence police officer was across the street in the parking lot of the Community Building, 115 W. 11th St., and recorded the incident on his dash camera.

photo by: Lawrence Police Department

Lawrence police released a video of an incident in which a gun was fired at people from a moving vehicle. In this screenshot from the video, the driver of the vehicle can be seen moments before his arrest.

The following Monday, police released a video on social media of the shooting and of Johnson’s arrest and the arrest of the vehicle’s driver, Jaden Lamar Hall, 19, of Lawrence, with a warning:

“Criminals: Please do not run. Do not drive by an officer while shooting a gun and hanging out the window. We will catch you. We will arrest you.”

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez released a statement shortly after the video was posted online condemning the use of the word “criminals” used by police when describing the video.

“We must not lose sight of the fundamental rights of those accused of criminal conduct. By law, despite what may be circulating across social media or in the press, the individuals depicted in those recordings remain innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law; not a court of public opinion,” Valdez’s statement said.

Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart responded to Valdez’s statement by praising the work of his officers.

“Our team is committed to transparency as part of our ongoing efforts to build trust with our community,” Lockhart said in a brief news release. “I am extremely proud of the professional men and women in our department who work hard to help keep us all safe and secure every day.”

During Johnson’ sentencing on Monday, Johnson apologized to the court for his actions and said he was grateful to the court for granting him probation.

“I never intended to harm anyone,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s defense attorney, Joseph Falls, said that as part of Johnson’s plea agreement Johnson would be undertaking anger management courses. He said that Johnson had no criminal history that would affect his sentence.

In the plea agreement, the state agreed to support a dispositional departure from prison time to probation. Kansas law requires that anyone who commits a felony with a gun is to serve prison time unless a judge finds a compelling reason for that person not to go to prison.

Treyvon D. Johnson, left, and his defense attorney Joseph Falls during a sentencing hearing in Douglas County District Court on April 24, 2023. Johnson was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault for firing a gun at two pedestrians in downtown Lawrence.

Judge Stacey Donovan sentenced Johnson to 12 months in prison on each count of assault and ordered those sentences to be run consecutively for a total of two years in prison. She then suspended that sentence to two years of probation. She also ordered Johnson to register as a violent offender for 15 years.

Donovan said that Johnson was fortunate this incident wasn’t worse for the people he was arguing with that night and for himself. She said Johnson’s lack of criminal history and the state supporting the departure were compelling reasons to depart to probation. She then encouraged Johnson to complete his GED.

“You will not be able to go down certain paths in life without an education,” Donovan said.

Johnson has been free on a $10,000 surety bond.

Johnson’s co-defendant, Hall, is currently free on a $4,000 bond. He is charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault with a handgun and one felony count of flee and elude, according to charging documents. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 10 for a plea hearing.

More coverage: Treyvon Johnson case

• August 30, 2022: Lawrence teen accused of shooting at people from car; police post video warning ‘criminals’

• August 31, 2022: Douglas County DA objects to use of word ‘criminals’ in police department’s social media posts, says people her office charges are innocent until proven guilty

• September 1, 2022: In response to DA’s criticism over use of the word ‘criminals,’ Lawrence police chief expresses pride in his department

• Feb 27, 2023: Lawrence teen convicted of firing gun at people after incident caught on video; DA had objected to police using word ‘criminals’ when they posted video