A Dallas man with a record of violent crime is facing new charges after being caught with a modified firearm capable of fully automatic fire, as detailed in a recent assault by authorities. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas announced that Jaterrian Damon Johnson, 28, was arrested and charged with illegal possession of a firearm.
Johnson, previously convicted on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, was observed by plainclothes officers in an area of increased surveillance due to a prior incident involving the Dallas Police Department. During a traffic stop initiated for violations by a black Kia Sorrento, where Mr. Johnson was a passenger, officers noted him making suspicious movements and maintaining eye contact with them in a seemingly nervous manner. When they returned to the car, they discovered a high-capacity magazine and a .40 caliber Glock with a switch, a device illegal under federal law. The criminal complaint stressed that these are allegations, not evidence and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
If convicted, Johnson faces a substantial term of up to 15 years in federal prison. This case unfolds under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods and “Operation Texas Kill Switch”, a concerted effort to crack down on so-called "switches" that effectively turn semi-automatic guns into fully automatic weapons, as swift and deadly as those wielded in military hands.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Withers is handling the prosecution of this case, which was investigated collaboratively by the Dallas Police Department’s Violent Crimes Task Force, FBI's Dallas Field Office, and ATF's Dallas Field Office. The focus of these initiatives, aside from enforcement, is fostering community trust, encouraging violence prevention at the community level, and setting precise enforcement priorities while also measuring the impactful outcomes of such strategies. Erin Dooley, a Press Officer, can be contacted for further details concerning the current proceedings or the broader initiatives at play in this case.
