A gunman who says he was targeting truck drivers was arrested by police after one of his intended victims was able to trap the gunman’s car under his trailer.
It was around 2:30 on January 11th when law enforcement officers responded to reports of a shooting on I-80 near mile marker 267 in Iowa. But by the time they arrived, the suspect had gone.
A short while later, an unnamed trucker was pulling out of the Pilot Travel Center on Atalissa road. As he did, a small black Volkswagon was pulling in. The driver of the Volkswagon, identified as 60-year-old Charles Johnston, allegedly stuck a handgun out his window and fired multiple rounds at the trucker.
Johnston circled around behind the truck to the passenger side. The trucker swerved hard to the right and struck the car, pinning it underneath his trailer. Johnston then allegedly fired multiple shots into the passenger-side door of the truck.
It was then that Iowa State Patrol officers arrived on the scene. Johnston allegedly fired on the officers, with two rounds striking their vehicle.
After a brief exchange of gunfire, more officers arrived on the scene and Johnston was taken into custody. No one was injured during the incident.
When asked by authorities for a motive, Johnston told them that he had become enraged over the death of a family which was killed in an accident involving a truck. He wanted to harm truckers as retaliation for the deaths.
According to the application for a search warrant, Johnston was currently on several prescription drugs and had recently been hospitalized. Until recently, Johnston had been an associate professor of psychology at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. The Quad City Times reports that according to a spokesperson for the college, Johnston has been “absent without approved leave” and is currently barred from campus.
Johnston has been charged with attempted murder and assault on a peace officer with a dangerous weapon. He is being held on $1 million cash bail.
Source: gobytrucknews, overdrive, kwqc, qctimes, chicagotribune, qctimes
Joseph Corrigan says
Shows psychology is even more goofier than regular people… Praise Jesus he didn’t hurt anybody..
Phil A says
Praise Jesus ? I guess Jesus doesn’t care about people whose lives weren’t saved.
Ariel Castillo says
Lol, exactly Phil.
MrBigR504 says
Whoa there buddy, watch your mouth with that kinda talk!
Bill says
All you have to do is believe, and your saved, it’s not a big ordeal in a church to be saved. It totally states in the Bible ” Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved. ”
Maybe you should read it!!!
David says
…and be baptized. Acts 2:38 and Mark 16:16. Faith for sure is part of it, but don’t forget the other instructions for salvation.
george says
not my type of fiction.
Arnesto Bolingar says
Have read it, and others like the Quran, Torah (aka old testament) and others…. Suffice it to say, I’m atheist. After all that research, worship, prayer and faith it escapes me as to why. Why is it God’s plan? Why all the hatred, division, judgment, sexism, racism? Why is your God better than mine? Why, if I’m human and intrinsically flawed, do I need to worship a jealous God, that judges you based on flaws that it created in you in the first place?
I prefer to not worship anything. I find that I don’t need to judge others based on what some unseen deity says I should judge. If I like you, you’re my friend, if I don’t, we’re acquaintances.
I shunned religion because my daughter is gay. I won’t hate or alienate her because a judgemental God doesn’t like it. He put the gay in us only to have others judge them?
No, nope, not buying it. I’m atheist. Proud and non judgemental. Believe what you want. Don’t judge me for not believing.
Little trucker says
Hahahahahha. Right on the head !!!! You are funny dude. Nice!!!!
Balbir Singh says
Any thing can happen in this world the psychiatric turned patient. No one kill purposely by any truck except drunk driver are at fault, or tailgater are dangerous, but a well being well educated person can turn violent is little dangerous
Sir Byrd says
I know right! They could’ve saved your tax money by just killing him on sight …
But he would had to have been black —
Only white guys can kill people WITHOUT being killed by police.
GEA - TX says
not true
Luis says
That’s what I was thinking, too. He did a hell of a lot of stuff and came out unharmed, when black folks get killed for not having a turn signal or something.
MrYowler says
The legal system hates poor people without regard for race. Race is just a pretext. A lot of black people happen to be poor. You can argue why that is, if you like, but the first people to get here and kill everybody else were going to wind up with their pick of the spoils, no matter who they were. Police kill poor Hispanics, poor Asians, and poor white people, disproportionately to rich ones, as well. Bullies pick on victims. Please try harder not to be a victim – or a bully.
Tammie says
Well said
MrBigR504 says
Why don’t you stick your hands in your back pockets and massage your brains!
Tammie says
U should probably do some research on that. White, black, yellow or purple. Cops shoot more than just black people. Here is a thought. When a cop is pulling u over, don’t run, don’t reach into jacket or pockets, don’t get into a fist fight with him. Also, black cops shoot black people and white. They want to go home to their kids , not a morgue. If u were a cop and someone came at u or reached for something after u repeatedly told them to leave their hands on steering wheel or head, what would u do? Would u wait to see what they were reaching for? No because if it is a gun, u are dead.
Blackfly says
Everything about this story is bizarre, the man obviously had mental and/or medication problems. It’s unlikely that the crash referred to as a motive had anything to do with him. The truck driver was incredibly brave and trapping the mans car obviously did not keep the driver safe but he did the right thing and quite possibly saved other’s lives.
Juan Robledo says
This individual apparently has a history of mental health issues that could be related to dementia or something more serious he should be kept in a mental state hospital for long term care
Groo says
Many shrinks get into the field to better understand what is wrong in their head.
Craig says
Oh boy another mentally ill I individual with a weapon causing harm to the innocent. State hospital on taxpayer payroll from our pockets.
Anonymous says
Yea as long as the dumbass is white I guess the storyline is the same (mental health) any other race is considered a terrorist or the officer was scared for his life. It’s really sad but that’s the reality we live in now.he even exchanged shots with the cops yet he wasn’t killed or hurt,meanwhile you have a unarmed black men bn killed over a broken taillight and again we all know the story that goes with that (the officer felt he had a gun and was scared for his life.
Thomas says
More statues taken down I guess would help? Geez!
MrYowler says
Do we have any idea what color the truck driver was, who saved the lives of everyone involved? Or does that not matter? Should it?
If everything that happens must be put into a racial context, then everything is about race, and this perpetuates racial bias and stereotyping. Haters gonna hate. If it’s not about race, sex, or sexual preference, it will be about musical tastes, acne or freckles, political affiliation, breast or penis size, language, or religion. It was never limited to skin color, and it never will be.
It there is one thing that we all should have learned in high school, it’s that people react differently to anyone who seems different, in *any* way. Celibrating our differences only emphasizes them, and generates more hate. Maybe we could all start talying about what we have in common? Or do we really need to hang on to our hate?
Jude says
MrYowler, I owe you a beer! thank you for being a ray of sanity in what was turning into a racist screed by the ignorant.
Nancy says
TEXTING KILLS
psychiatrists often time cover up poor behavior
Mack says
What I took from this story is that Iowa State troopers are lousy shots.
RenoBlues says
Ha! Thanks Mack needed a chuckle this morning!
Jeffrey Eakman says
And they say those with P. T. S. D. are dangerous.
David Taylor says
Time buy a handgun now i see.lol..anti truckers thinking we accually kill with our trucks.what has this country come to.the govrrnment needs to wake up and smell the trucks.
Bill Mueller says
Was the gunmens gun legal and how did he get that gun ?
mousekiller says
The other truckers he shot at are so very lucky this idiot was a bad shot too. Unless officially diagnosed mental ill the nutjobs are among us on a daily basis. Another good reason qualified truckers should be allowed to carry in a CMV.. At least this driver had the good
sense to trap this idiot and he was safe. This shooter will get minimum sentencing if it goes like every other bad guy has been getting in the the last 8 years. So glad no one was hurt.
Sir Byrd says
Yeah, he should been black, huh? — then, they’d throw the book at him.
Whizkid says
Your really trying to turn this into a race issue lol. When are you ever going to grow up and stop thinking like everyone has it in for the black man.
J says
Not turning it into a racial issue, simply highlighting the different results from SOME law enforcement officers.
KDub says
As much as I hate to say it there’s plenty of billy big rigger truckers who are borderline nut jobs who I wouldn’t want to see armed
J says
Agreed 100%
Tammie says
Agree Mousekiller, we should be allowed to carry to protect ourselves but everyone who wants to carry should have to go thru a psych evaluation as well. I don’t know how this guy got his but if he bought it legally and a psych eval would have been done, he may not have been able to get his hands on a gun. Just a thought. Also, some of the truckers out here definitely do not need a gun in their possession! …lol
ron michaelson says
Hail to the Iowa cops!! Hail the truckers! If nothing else, it added some excitement to an otherwise boring day.
Jason Aho says
What kind of world do you live in where a madman with a gun on a public roadway is excitement? Not to mention he was pulling the trigger of said gun. Doesn’t sound exciting to me.
LOUANN SCHILDKNECHT says
First off there has been truck drivers that have been mental and have purposely taken out people with their trucks. Second i agree Iowa st troopers must need some gun range time. and third David Taylor unless you live in a state that allows a truck driver to carry a gun in the truck you best hope you don’t get caught with it in the truck especially if you are an otr truck driver. And last i hope they find him competent to stand trial so he can rot in jail not in a cushy hospital
KDub says
Very said!
KDub says
Very well said that is
RockyD says
A big problem in this thread is way to much anecdotal information without facts or merit. even though the topic is not about this but to re-iterate an earlier comment on it. Truckers carrying guns; unless a new law has pass with in the last 24 hours somewhere in the part of the country that is not a part of the USA. There is no law against it on a federal side. As for states the law stands that you must know your state and local laws should you choose to carry a firearm. It does not discriminate on who can and who can’t
Royce Dressel says
OMG! Another shrink goes bananas!!??? Apparently, being a mental health worker is mentally unhealthy. Or he has always had a screw loose and it finally fell out.
Skinner Diggs says
A Volkswagen going up against a semi.
Bernetta Collins says
Did they charge the truck driver with anything? Reckless driving? Driving over the line? He certainly won’t get away with doing something good. Great job, big balls, thanks for getting involved. God only knows how many lives you may have saved.
John says
Like always, nobody blame the prescription drugs or the doctor who prescribed them. Let big pharma keep getting away with this.
MrYowler says
Part of being a therapist is ongoing therapy and evaluation. It’s likely that he was not taking meds that he had been prescribed, making it difficult to blame the meds he was *supposed* to be on – whether or not they actually played a role.
draglink says
how does the maker of the legal drugs have anything to do with this, they did not shot at anyone the man did , if you can read it was because he want to hurt someone , any one , be cause he knew some one that got killed in a truck, car wreck ! yea right it was the drug maker ! NOT .
Linda Merritts says
Good deed on the truckers part. They never mention that sometimes it is the auto driver that gets themselves killed by big trucks when they cut them off and will not move over. and for Sir Byrd Blacks also kill Blacks if you watch the news you see it every morning.
Thomas says
He’s in disbelief! Only holding himself down thinking the way he does.
deaconblues62 says
Still the moron gets to make bail, WOW. Held without bail I guess is too harsh, man you gotta love IOWA.
Jason Aho says
No kidding! Gun fight with cops and shooting at truckers, doesn’t sound like the kind of guy that should be allowed to post bail where he could likely repeat, maybe even with a more successful plan.
draglink says
HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU KNOW THAT CAN MAKE A MILLION DOLLAR CASH BOND ?
Richard A. says
I blame part of this on the anti-depressants. There have been cases where people taking SSRI medication actually saw their lives become much worst with continued use of the drug.
Read about the example of the 2012 Colorado theatre shooter, James Holmes. He had depression and was seeing a doctor. Everytime he visited the office, she prescribed higher dosages. The more she prescribed, the farther off the plain of reality he fell. Everyone knows how this ended. Interesting, that he was studying psychiatric and neurological disorders in university.
Hawk says
This industry attracts a lot of stress and in the working class we are just doing our best to make ends meet. We all handle that stress but sometimes people snap. Have you ever been in a fight? Most of us have some verbal, others physical. I have to deal with my knee-jerk anger daily. I don’t like reacting but I do so now I am trying the 10% Happier program iPhone APP on meditation. I am tired of all the hostility and fighting with people over stupid stuff. …
ron michaelson says
Shrinks are nuts, so why go to them for help?
Robert G says
Everybody bringing up race. I guess I missed the part of the article that said he was white.
Dan says
Charged with shooting at a cop but not for shooting at trucks Hmmm
Felix says
This story is not about religion this story is not about being black or white or anybody being killed nobody is reading the story that he is doing this because a family got killed in a trucking accident what actually happened in this accident was the trucker at fault or was the car at fault let’s look at that and figure out why he was doing this is he that stupid or is he just upset it’s not black and white it not God it’s not hell it’s none of this crap anybody’s talking about please shut the hell up and talk about the story
longtimegone says
Departments of motor vehicles and driver training services -Nationwide- need to start educating the public to stay away from commercial trucks, examples include but are not limited to: mortorists entering the freeway who don’t comprehend what “merge into traffic at freeway speeds” means, you don’t “pace” a commercial vehicle next to you, either speed up or slow down, Don’t swerve in front of commercial vehicles and hit your brakes (death wish) ( or free vehicle customizng) don’t drive along the passenger side of commercial vehicles (blind spot) dont pass commercial vehicles on the right, (there is a correct passing side and there is suicide). I’m sure you all can list many more examples… Public education is the only way this will ever end, except for cases where individuals do not have enough brain function to operate a motor vehicle safely and responsibly.