During a traffic stop this week, a 43-year-old man with a criminal past is accused of biting off a portion of a police officer’s ear. He is currently facing charges.
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office reports that the incident took place on Tuesday, November 14. Marcus Johnson and a female passenger were seen by an officer in a 2002 Ford F-150 at around five in the morning, according to WREG-TV. The vehicle tags were registered to a different car when the officer looked them up.
Marcus Johnson Faces Multiple Charges, Including Attempted Second-Degree Murder
Johnson threw a brown leather pouch on the ground, according to WREG, and the officer approached him. According to reports, Johnson gave non-verified car information.
Johnson allegedly chewed off a portion of his right ear and choked the officer as he attempted to take him into custody. Johnson allegedly struck the policeman many times on the face and stomach. Johnson reportedly removed the officer’s holster to allegedly access his firearm and Taser, according to WREG.
Eventually, the policeman arrested Johnson and found the leather pouch. The officer discovered ecstasy, Xanax, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana within the pouch, according to reports that WREG was able to get. After that, Johnson and the police were taken to a hospital to receive medical attention.
Later on, authorities discovered that Johnson had been operating a vehicle without proof of insurance and that his license had been suspended. The district attorney’s office argued that Johnson’s bond should be revoked since he was facing further felony drug charges from a 2022 case.
Judge Raises Bond to $500,000 for Tennessee Man Accused of Attempted Second-Degree Murder and Revokes Bond in Previous Case
In the end, the judge boosted Johnson’s bond to $500,000 for an attempted second-degree murder allegation related to this week’s alleged assault on the officer and revoked his bond in the 2022 case.
“When I saw that he had been running away from a previous charge for about a year, I directed our lawyers to not only secure a high bond on the most recent charge but to cancel that bond completely,” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said in a statement. This defendant has already demonstrated his lack of reliability. The judge’s agreement pleased me.”
Johnson is still being held at the Shelby County Jail on several charges, which include driving with a suspended license, breaking financial laws, criminal impersonation, attempted second-degree murder, Possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell and resisting arrest are both crimes.