A man who tried to pay his cab fair with counterfeit money and then pulled a gun on the cab driver -- before being shot with his own gun -- will spend nearly 6 years in prison.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A man who tried to pay his cab fair with counterfeit money and then pulled a gun on the cab driver -- before being shot with his own gun -- will spend nearly 6 years in prison.
Josiah Augustine Johnson pleaded guilty to robbery and unlawful use of a weapon in the September 14, 2020 crime. The Washington County DA's Office laid out this sequence of events on that night:
Johnson called for a cab to go from Gresham to Beaverton. The cabbie noticed Johnson acting strangely and asked for money upfront. Johnson handed the driver some bills, but the driver immediately spotted the bogus bill and asked for Johnson's cell phone as collateral.
When the ride was over, Johnson -- who learned the cabbie was not armed -- tried to pay with the counterfeit bill again. The driver refused and said he was keeping the cell phone until he got paid.
Johnson then pulled a gun and threatened the cabbie, who tried to grab the gun. During a brief struggle, the gun went off and hit Johnson in the buttocks. The cabbie took the gun and witnesses called police.
Investigators later learned the gun was stolen.
Judge Oscar Garcia sentenced Johnson to 70 months -- 5 years, 10 months -- in prison. He was transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections.
