Man Shot in Pico Neighborhood

By Lookout Staff

Nov. 24 -- A suspect was arrested Friday, hours after shooting a man in the arm in a violence-prone pocket of the Pico Neighborhood, police said.

Samuel Antoine Johnson, a 31-year-old black male, was identified as the gunman in the attempted murder, which took place at around 1:35 p.m. on the 1900 block of 17th Street, where shots were also fired last Monday night.

Officers responding to reports of shots fired found the victim suffering from a minor gunshot wound to the arm, police said. Officers determined that the suspect had shot at the victim then fled in a gold colored Chevrolet.

A second suspect, identified as a 20-year old Black woman, reportedly drove the vehicle south on 17th Street, then eastbound on Pico Boulevard, police said.

At around 6 p.m. Santa Monica police investigating the case spotted Johnson walking towards a vehicle in the 1400 block of Euclid Street.

Investigators took him into custody without incident, and he was later booked at the Santa Monica Jail for attempted murder and a parole violation, police said. No bail has been set.

The victim was treated at the scene for a grazing gunshot wound and released, police said. The investigation is ongoing.

Last Monday night shots were also fired on the 1900 block of 17th Street, several blocks from where a young black man was fatally shot on September 2.

Friday's incident occurred in a violence-riddled pocket of the Pico Neighborhood where five shootings took place between May 9 and June 5. No one was injured in the shootings.

Police arrested eight suspects in the shooting spree, but none of the suspects arrested face prosecution for the shootings.

A suspect also was arrested for murder of Jalonnie D. Carter, a 19-year-old black resident of the Pico Neighborhood, who was shot in the back in the alley on the 1800 block of 20th street. The suspect, however, was released after the District Attorney's office found there was not enough evidence to file charges

The area where Friday's incident took place has been the scene of numerous shootings during recent years, some of them gang-related.