Suspect has history of arrests dating back to 2014 for assault, robbery, vehicle theft and more

By Darryl Saffold, Public Information Officer, Antioch Police Department

On August 18, 2022, at approximately 12:46 PM, Antioch Police Dispatch began receiving numerous 911 calls regarding a man with a gun in the area of Country Hills Drive and Deerfield Drive. As officers were en route to the scene, additional callers indicated that the suspect was shooting at vehicles in the area.

With the help of several eyewitnesses, Antioch Police Officers detained 29-year-old suspect Felix Martinez Johnson. As the calls came in and the investigation continued, Jack London Elementary was requested to shelter in place.

According to Superintendent Stephanie Anello the following message was then sent to all staff and parents at Jack London.

“Currently Jack London has been ordered to lock down and shelter students in place by the Antioch Police Department due to police activity near campus.  Students will not be released, until the Antioch Police Departments determines it is safe to lift the lockdown.

Christine Ibarra, Associate Superintendent, Educational Services, Antioch Unified School District”

The shelter in place continued during the remainder of the investigation and for safety purposes. Once it was determined there was no danger to the public, the shelter in place was lifted. A police presence remained at the schools as an added measure of safety and security for the staff and students.

There were no reported injuries as a result of the shooting. Johnson was transported to the Martinez Detention Facility and booked for numerous firearms-related offenses.

According to localcrimenews.com, Johnson has a history of arrests dating back to 2014 by the Hayward, Daly City and San Leandro Police Departments, and Sheriff’s Departments of San Mateo, San Francisco and Solano counties, for assault with a deadly weapon or assault with force likely to produce great bodily harm, vehicle theft, lying to police, petty theft, burglary, robbery, grand theft less than $950 (considered petty theft and punished as a misdemeanor), using a stolen identity, accessory after the fact, failure to appear, and for revocation of probation.

This is an ongoing and active investigation; no further information will be released at this time.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Officer King with firearm discovered in the suspect’s car on Tues., August 9, 2022. Photo by APD

Also has history of arrests including for domestic violence in 2015, as well as murder and other, similar weapons charges last year

James Cornell Chatman. Source: Meganslaw.ca.gov

By Antioch Police Department

Way to go, rookie!!

On Tuesday, August 9, 2022, at 9:30 a.m., Antioch Police Officer King conducted a suspicious vehicle stop on W. 7th Street of a car parked alongside a curb with two people appearing to be asleep inside. Concerned for their safety, Officer King approached the vehicle to speak to the gentleman to ensure they were OK. When he made it up to the driver’s window, Officer King saw drug paraphernalia on the driver’s lap.

After waking the occupants up, Officer King searched the car and located a loaded AR-style pistol in a black bag near the feet of the driver, 32-year-old James Cornell Chatman of Antioch. Seeing as he was a felon and was not allowed to own a firearm, Chatman was promptly arrested and transported to jail at the Martinez Detention Facility. He is being charged with for PC 29800(A)(1) – felon in possession of a firearm; PC 25850(A) – loaded firearm in a vehicle or in public; and PC 25400(A)(1) – carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle under the person’s control.

According to homefacts.com Chatman is a registered sex offender and according to the Megan’s Law website it was for lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age.

Confiscated firearm. Photo: APD

According to localcrimenews.com he has a history of arrests dating back to 2015. Chatman was arrested that year by Contra Costa Sheriff’s Deputies for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant and assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury. In March 2021 he was arrested by Antioch Police for participating in an illegal speed contest and evading a police officer. Then on Sept. 11, last year, Chatman was arrested, again by Contra Costa Sheriff’s Deputies for murder, assault with a firearm on a person, carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle, carrying a loaded firearm when not the registered owner.

Your police department remains dedicated to removing illegally owned/possessed firearms off the street. Keep up the hard work Officer King!

APD PIO Darryl Saffold and Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Photos by APD

Antioch Police Lt. Tarra Mendes. Source: APD

By Antioch Police Department

Please join us in celebrating the distinguished career of Lieutenant Tarra Mendes as she rides off into the sunset to enjoy her retirement. Returning to the beginning, Lieutenant Mendes started her law enforcement career with the Antioch Police Department as a Reserve Police Officer in 1993. Then, through hard work and an impeccable work ethic, Lieutenant Mendes was hired as a Community Services Officer in January of 1995.

After being hired as a full-time sworn officer in May of 1997, Lieutenant Mendes’ list of accomplishments was genuinely outstanding. During her tenure, she served in the following assignments: patrol officer, Problem Oriented Policing Officer (POP), bike officer, property and person crimes investigator, weaponless defense/baton instructor, jail operations instructor, hostage negotiator, training manager, background investigator, internal affairs investigator, recruiter, social media manager, and PD events. Not to mention her ascension through the ranks up to Lieutenant!

Even with that impressive resume, one of Lieutenant Mendes’ most outstanding achievements is that she was a part of the hiring of well over 100 past and present employees of the Antioch Police Department over the last 16-plus years.

Last but certainly not least, Lieutenant Mendes, alongside Ana Cortez and Samantha Peterson, created and ran the police department’s Holiday Giveaway, Halloween Event, and Easter Egg Hunt. A lot of hard work goes into these events, and the joy had by the community will always be one of the highlights of Lieutenant Mendes’ career.

THANK YOU, LIEUTENANT MENDES; you will be missed. Thank you for your service to the city and citizens of Antioch! On behalf of your family at the PD, please enjoy your retirement.

Gun confiscated by Antioch Police Officers. Photos: APD

Handoff from another man inside fast food restaurant

In first ever release of Antioch Police Officer body camera video APD shows footage of arrest

Gun inside satchel.

By Allen D. Payton

According to Antioch Police Department PIO Darryl Saffold, on Monday, August 1, 2022, Officer Marcotte was conducting extra patrol in Sycamore Square when he observed a male subject enter JJ’s Fish and Chicken in the Sycamore Square shopping center at 1100 Sycamore Drive with a satchel. A short time later another male, 26-year-old Rodney Toriano Green, walked in the same store without a satchel on but exited with the same satchel Marcotte had seen earlier.

Officer Marcotte contacted Green and during a search found a loaded pistol in the satchel. The pistol was determined to have been stolen out of Las Vegas. Green was arrested for 25850 PC, having a loaded firearm in a public place and 25400 PC, carrying a concealed firearm. He was later booked and transported to the Martinez Detention Facility.

The first subject fled the area on foot and his ID is unknown at this time.

UPDATE: In the first ever release of an Antioch Police Officer body cam video the department posted footage of the arrest on their Facebook page on Tuesday, Aug. 2.

On Friday night, August 19, 2022, the Antioch Police Department will conduct a driving under the influence (DUI) Checkpoint between the hours of 6 PM and 12 AM in the area of E. 18th and A Streets.

DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on data showing incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints is to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the road.

“Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk,” Sergeant Rob Green said. “Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improves traffic safety.”

The Antioch Police Department reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license.

So, whether you’ve had just one drink with dinner at 1:00 a.m. or multiple any time you’re out, call an Uber, Lyft or a friend to drive you home. Don’t put your own life or others’ lives at risk and avoid fines, losing your license, possible jail time, public embarrassment and having to lie to your family, friends and constituents about it or where you were while being detained for several hours.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Antioch Police Officers Nutt (holding clip) and Morris with the confiscated gun on Thursday, July 28, 2022. Photos by APD

Gun discovered during traffic stop

By Allen D. Payton

According to Antioch Police PIO Darryl Saffold, on Thursday, July 28, 2022, at 4:07 p.m., Antioch Police Officer Milner made a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Niani Wilkinsgoudy on Garner Court. Wiliknsgoudy, age 20, responded by speeding off. She parked her vehicle and a search of it revealed a loaded and unregistered Glock 19x.

Wilkinsgoudy also had her two-year-old daughter in the car. Wilkinsgoudy was sent to the Martinez Detention Facility on the following charges PC 25850(c)(6) – carrying a loaded firearm by a non-registered person punishable as a misdemeanor or felony; PC 25850(a) possession of a loaded firearm in public; PC 25400(a)(1) possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle and PC 273(a) – child endangerment. That offense is described as “any person, who willfully causes or permits any child to suffer unjustifiable physical pain, injury, or mental suffering, or willfully causes or permits that child to be placed in a situation where the child is likely to suffer great bodily injury or death, or the health of the child is endangered, is guilty of the crime of willfully endangering the health of a child.”

Her daughter was given over to a family member.

Also charged by DA for armed robbery, conspiracy

By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa County Office of the District Attorney

Members of the Tre-4 street gang are being prosecuted by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office on murder, armed robbery, and conspiracy charges. Jalin Washington of San Francisco, Don Juan Defore Watson, Jr. of Antioch, and Amir Anderson-Roof (city unknown) all face charges for a series of crimes that include the killing of 20-year-old Basel Jilani of Lafayette on March 23, 2022. (See related articles here and here)

In that incident, the victim Jilani was chased by Washington and Watson after they spotted him driving a high-end Mercedes on the freeway in Concord. Jilani tried to elude his pursuers but crashed his vehicle on Taylor Boulevard near the border between Pleasant Hill and Lafayette. He was shot, killed, and robbed of his Rolex watch.

Washington, Watson, and Anderson-Roof are also at the center of several crimes in Bay Area in 2022 that include automobile thefts and armed robbery.

The People of the State of California v. Jalin Washington, Case Number: 01-22-01088

The People of the State of California v. Don Juan Defore Watson, Jr., Case Number: 01-22-01086

The People of the State of California v. Amir Anderson-Roof, Case Number: 01-22-01087

Older suspect arrested in 2021 and last month on multiple gun, drug charges

By Jimmy Lee, PIO, Office of the Contra Costa Sheriff

On Wednesday, July 20, 2022, at about 10:45 AM, Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriffs served arrest warrants at a home on the 4800 block of Vinewood Way in Antioch. They arrested, without incident, 19-year-old Don-Juan Defore Watson of Antioch/San Francisco and 20-year-old Jalin Washington of San Francisco.

The two are suspects in the March 23, 2022, killing of 20-year-old Basel Jilani in the unincorporated area of Taylor Road and Gloria Terrace. (See related article)

Homicide detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division have worked continuously on the case identifying the two, who are also suspects in robberies in the Bay Area.

Watson was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility (MDF) on the following charges: murder, two counts of robbery, and conspiracy. He is being held without bail.

Washington was booked into MDF on the following charges: murder, two counts of robbery, conspiracy, burglary, felon in possession of a firearm, and allowing someone to discharge a firearm from his vehicle. He is being held without bail.

According to localcrimenews.com, he was previously arrested in March 2021 by San Francisco County Sheriff’s Department for being armed with a firearm during a felony, resisting / obstructing / delaying a Peace Officer, conspiracy to commit a crime, burglary, possession of burglar’s tools, receiving or concealing stolen property, carrying a loaded firearm on person or In a vehicle while in a public place, and carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle.

Washington was arrested again last month by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for possession of a narcotic controlled substance, possession of 28.5 grams or less of marijuana,
discharging a firearm in a negligent manner, possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, concealed firearm – unregistered gun with ammunition, and
carrying a loaded concealed weapon.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600 or through Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (925) 646-2441. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.