A fugitive on the run from Akron since 2012 is back in custody.
The U.S. Marshal's Office Violent Fugitive Task Force and Akron police say they caught up with 29 year-old Shawn Johnson on Lumiere Street in Akron on Thursday night.
He has been a suspect in a shooting in March 2012, when he is charged with demanding money from someone in a car, and then shooting the victim even after he gave money.
Task force members say Johnson had changed his appearance radically and obtained a new identity. He was found hiding under a bed.
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(U.S. Marshal's Office) Yesterday at approximately 10:00pm, the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) Akron Division along with the Akron Police Department's Gun Violence Reduction Unit arrested Shawn Johnson, 29, at a residence located on the 500 block of Lumiere Street in Arkon. Johnson was wanted for felonious assault and aggravated robbery.
Johnson has been on the run since March 2012. It is alleged that he and another suspect walked up to an individual parked in a vehicle in the 900 block of Wall St. in Akron and demanded money and the car from the individual. Although the victim complied with Johnson's demands, Johnson allegedly shot him in the torso.
Numerous resources were invested in the search for Johnson, including running his information in the media as a U.S. Marshals 'Dangerous Dozen' and profiling his wanted photo on the Clear Channel billboards. When task force members searched the home, they discovered Johnson hiding under a bed. Johnson had drastically changed his appearance and obtained a new identity, which enabled him to stay on the run for so long.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said, "Members of the task force have worked this case extensively over the past few years. This is a top notch arrest and a testament that our teams will to never give up on the capture."
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of a known fugitive is encouraged to contact the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at: 1-866-4-WANTED or text keyword WANTED and the tip to TIP411 (847411). Tipsters may remain anonymous and a cash reward may be available. The Task Force's "Dangerous Dozen" fugitives can be viewed at http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/oh-n/fugitives/pdf/dangerous_dozen.pdf, which is updated monthly.
The NOVFTF Akron Division consists of the following federal, state and local agencies: Akron Police Department, Barberton Police Department, Bath Township Police Department
Boston Heights Village Police Department, Copley Township Police Department, Cuyahoga Falls Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kent Police Department, Medina County Sheriff's Office, New Franklin Police Department, Northfield Village Police Department, Norton Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Portage County Sheriff's Office, Reminderville Police Department, Streetboro Police Department, Stow Police Department, Summit County Sheriff's Office, United States Marshals Service, United States Secret Service, University of Akron Police Department.