Episode 736: Life After an OIS with Mike Arena

On today's episode, Dennis sits down with retired New Jersey
police officer, Mike Arena. Officer Arena was involved in an OIS
on August 6, 2020 after responding to a call concerning a man
behaving erratically holding a broken glass bottle. 


When the responding officers encountered the man, later
identified as Amir Johnson, he was walking in and out of a marshy
area along the roadway while holding a broken glass bottle in his
hand. Mr. Johnson had self-inflicted lacerations on his arms and
neck, and was bleeding from his neck. The officers engaged with
Mr. Johnson and offered him assistance, but he refused their
efforts and failed to comply with their commands, including
repeated requests for him to drop the bottle. Instead, he
continued to walk back and forth on the roadway, where officers
had stopped traffic for safety reasons. Officers continued to
speak with Mr. Johnson, who was threatening to inflict additional
self-harm, for several minutes. One officer was armed with a
taser and attempted to deploy it, however, this was unsuccessful.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., Mr. Johnson was in close
proximity to a vehicle occupied by civilians when he rapidly
advanced at officers with the broken bottle in his hand. Three
officers fired their weapons, fatally wounding him. He was rushed
by ambulance to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic
City Campus, where he was pronounced deceased at
approximately 6:00 p.m. A state grand jury has voted not to
file any criminal charges at the conclusion of its deliberations
regarding the death of Amir Johnson, 30, of Wilkes Barre,
Pennsylvania.


Today Officer Arena discuss the story and what unfolded that day,
how it changed his life and how he has moved on from the career
of law enforcement.


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