By Ivan Pereira
The man who left a former officer for dead outside of his Laurelton home before carjacking his luxury BMW was convicted of his crimes last week, the Queens district attorney said.
Michael R. Johnson, 28, of Queens, faces up to 25 years to life in prison at his scheduled sentencing hearing Sept. 14, Queens DA Richard Brown said. Johnson was found guilty July 13 on several criminal counts, including attempted murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon in the shooting of Milton Miller May 11, 2009.
Miller, a former police officer, was targeted by Johnson as he drove his BMW 750 and was shot several times during the carjacking, according to the DA.
“The defendant has been convicted of a brazen, violent attack that left his victim fighting for his life and, by his actions, has demonstrated that he is a threat to public safety,” Brown said in a statement.
As Miller protested when held up at gunpoint, Johnson opened fire and hit him in his chest and abdomen, the DA said. Johnson drove off in the BMW while the former officer was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in critical condition, according to Brown.
He was able to survive the shooting, the DA said.
Investigators discovered eight shell casings and three fragmented bullets from the scene of the crime, Brown said.
Three days after the shooting, police spotted Johnson in a GMC Arcadia making a U-turn at 75th Street and 91st Avenue in Woodhaven and then traveling at a high rate of speed along Conduit Avenue, Brown said. He kept repeatedly changing lanes and tailgated another vehicle before stopping at a gas station in Brooklyn, according to the DA.
When the police caught up to him at the station, they discovered that he did not have a valid license but was carrying $1,970 in forged U.S. currency and a phony ID card for John F. Kennedy International Airport security, Brown said.
The investigators also found two BMW keys, one belonging to Miller’s stolen vehicle and another belonging to a car that was stolen in Long Island earlier that day, the DA said.
He was subsequently charged in Miller’s attempted killing and remanded.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
