Father sentenced for trying to kill Arizona Department of Child Safety worker in Mesa

Deandre Johnson, 33, has been sentenced to 17.5 years in prison for attacking an Arizona Department of Child Safety caseworker in Mesa.

In November 2024, the victim met with Johnson in the lobby of a building in Mesa where DCS has offices. Johnson was angry with the caseworker for interviewing his daughter alone in a room during an investigation, according to a release from Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.

When the discussion ended, the caseworker got up and started walking away. Johnson came up behind him and used both arms to put him in a chokehold while repeatedly telling the victim he was a “dead man.”

The defendant kept the victim in a chokehold for approximately two minutes, 30 seconds, and the victim lost consciousness. Johnson dropped the caseworker’s limp body on the floor but started choking the victim again after realizing he was still breathing.

Throughout the attack, witnesses tried to get Johnson to stop. After finally letting the victim go, Johnson tried to intimidate the witnesses. He then left and was arrested hours later by Mesa Police after a pursuit.

Johnson livestreamed the entire interaction with the caseworker — including the attack — on Facebook.

A jury convicted Johnson of one count of attempt to commit first degree murder, a class two felony; four misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct; and one count of unlawful flight from law enforcement, a class five felony.

“It’s not just the violence of this crime, but that he livestreamed it for the world to see, that makes it so alarming,” Maricopa County Attorney Mitchell said in the release. “There is no justification for this defendant’s ambush attack on someone who was simply doing his job to protect kids.”