‘We Got to Get the Game Plan’: Leaked Body Camera Footage Exposes Arkansas Cop for Lying About Reason for Shooting Black Man That a Judge Had Ordered Sealed
Police body camera footage showing an Arkansas cop shooting a Black man fleeing a traffic stop was leaked to the public – despite a judge having ordered it sealed during the felony trial of the police officer. The 2023 video shows Little Rock Police Officer Johvoni McClendon, who is also Black, ordering at gunpoint the driver of a pickup truck to step out of the vehicle, which he did. But Brenden Johnson, 20, climbed from the back seat of the truck into the driver’s seat and began driving away, prompting McClendon to fire three times. Body camera footage showing a cop shooting a Black man who had been ordered sealed by a judge was leaked to the public, showing the evidence that led to felony charges against the Arkansas police officer. (Photo: body camera) Johnson claimed he was in fear for his life, believing the truck was going to strike him, but the video shows he opened fire from the side of the truck. Johnson was struck in the left temple but survived the shooting. "We got to get the game plan, OK," one officer says to Johnson. "He almost hit me," Johnson replies. ‘I’m Gonna Hurt You!’: North Carolina Trooper Punches, Drags Disabled Man After Seizure-Induced Crash and the Disturbing Accusation That Followed Led to a Lawsuit And McClendon was fired and charged with felony battery and misdemeanor assault, charges to which he pleaded not guilty. The case is still active. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Karen Whatley had ordered the video and investigative files to remain sealed a month after the shooting “to protect the defendant’s right to a fair trial in accordance with due process of the law,” according to court documents. The leaked video ended up in the hands of Jerald Johnson, 32, who runs a YouTube channel called LRHNCash dedicated to videos of police pursuits in Arkansas, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. It is not clear at this time who leaked the video, but Little Rock police told local media they are investigating to see if it came from within the department. And it is also not clear if Jerald Johnson is related to Brenden Johnson, the young man who was shot by McClendon, the Democrat-Gazette stated. The investigative documents that were also ordered sealed by the judge have not been made public at this time, so it is not clear if they were also leaked. But because of the judge’s orders, very few details have been publicized since the 2023 shooting. Leaking sealed videos is considered a misdemeanor in Arkansas and can result in a jail sentence of up to 30 days and a fine of up to $500. Watch the condensed video below. ‘He Was Not Deserving’ The incident took place on Sept. 30, 2023, after McClendon said he tried to pull over Johnson, who was driving an alleged stolen Dodge Charger, which eluded him. About an hour later, other cops tried to stop the Charger, but it eluded them as well. The Charger was eventually found abandoned. And a police drone spotted a group of males running from a forest into a pickup truck, notifying the officers on the ground. McClendon was the first cop to confront the four men in the truck, pulling his patrol car in front of the truck to block its path and ordering them out at gunpoint. Three men climbed out of the truck, but Johnson climbed from the back seat into the driver’s seat and attempted to get away, which was when McClendon fired three times, striking Johnson in the left temple. He told investigators he was in fear for his life, but he was charged with a felony in less than a week after the police chief viewed the body camera video. He was also terminated from the Little Rock Police Department, where he had worked for three years. "There is no doubt the actions of Officer McClendon are outside the department's policy related to the use of deadly force," Little Rock Police Chief Heath Helton told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The Little Rock police use-of-force policy states the following: Discharging firearms at a moving or fleeing vehicle is prohibited, unless it is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious physical injury to the officer or another person. Officers will not voluntarily place themselves in a position in front of an oncoming vehicle where Deadly Force is the probable outcome. When confronted by an oncoming vehicle, officers will move out of its path, if possible, rather than fire at the vehicle. Even though it’s been two years since the shooting, Little Rock police have not indicated whether the stolen Dodge Charger was indeed stolen by the Black men in the pickup truck because there is no record of any of them being charged. Johnson’s family held a press conference in the days after the shooting, where family attorney Austin Porter Jr. told local media that Johnson was still hospitalized and was expected to require a lengthy recovery. Porter said the family was considering filing a lawsuit, but it does not appear as if anything has been filed yet, according to state and federal court records. “I feel like he was not deserving,” Johnson’s mother, Darlecia Johnson, said during the press conference.
