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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