Dad attacks his daughter’s caseworker and livestreams it on Facebook, Arizona cops say

A man was charged with attempted murder after being accused of nearly killing his daughter’s caseworker in an attack he livestreamed on Facebook, Arizona officials said.

On Nov. 5, Mesa officers got a call about a man, later identified as De’Andre Terrell Johnson, 32, of Scottsdale, choking another man in the lobby of a commercial building, according to court documents.

When police arrived, they found the victim, a Department of Child Safety (DCS) employee, lying on the ground in an “altered state of consciousness,” officials said.

Detectives later learned the victim was a caseworker for Johnson’s daughter, and the two had set to meet in the lobby, officials said.

Johnson had posted a video Oct. 31 expressing his concerns after his 9-year-old daughter was interviewed by a DCS employee in a private room, according to AZcentral.



Johnson livestreamed the encounter turned attack on Facebook, officials said.

The two were talking when the victim stood up and Johnson put him in a chokehold, officers said.

The victim was in the chokehold for 2 minutes and 30 seconds with his eyes bulging out and his muscles tensing up, officials said.

“It’s very difficult to watch,” DCS Deputy Director David Lujan told AZ Family. “I think what was really telling about the video is that case worker had more than an hour-long conversation where they are talking calmly. Things seem to be going OK, they fist bump to say good bye, and then just out of the blue this happens.”

Witnesses intervened, and the victim was let go, officials said.

During an interview, the victim told officials Johnson “just wanted to kill” him, according to court documents

The victim suffered “absolutely serious” injuries and “almost died” medical personnel told investigators, according to court documents.

“Yesterday one of our specialists was assaulted in an unprovoked and horrific manner by a parent at our Tempe/Gilbert field office. This disturbing event occurred in the public lobby of the building, and although no weapon was used, the attack was severe enough that our specialist had to be taken by ambulance for medical treatment. Several witnesses were present, and the perpetrator has since been arrested. We are relieved that the specialist has been discharged from the hospital and is now at home recovering with family,” a Department of Child Safety spokesperson told 12News in a statement.

Johnson was arrested on charges of first-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault of a DCS worker and unlawful fight charges, officials said.

Mesa is about a 20-mile drive southeast of Phoenix.

This story was originally published November 8, 2024 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Dad attacks his daughter’s caseworker and livestreams it on Facebook, Arizona cops say."