Eighteen Year Old Captured for Two West Philadelphia Sexual Assaults

The community needs to extend a thank you to the courageous 35-year old woman who managed to break free from her assailant and immediately notified police. Her quick actions allowed the police to start an immediate search leading to the capture of Dominic Johnson as a suspect in this attack and two previous sexual assault cases.

The police spotted a man matching the description of the 35-year old woman’s attacker. When Johnson saw the police he took off at a sprint trying to elude capture. The police managed to capture Dominic quickly and recovered the handgun he had used in his earlier attack. The apprehension took place near Chestnut and Sixtieth Street in West Philadelphia.

Multiple Attacks in West Philadelphia Using Identical Methods

Johnson’s attempted sexual assault on the 35-year old woman followed the same pattern as the two previous cases. His normal mode of operation was to grab the victim from behind, pull a gun, and then sexually assault them. The two previous victims were a 19 year old woman on January 3 and a 18 year old woman in the early morning hours of January 11. This latest attempt occurred the same day at approximately 11:20PM. The short time between attacks indicates his desire to attack may have been accelerating.

Dominic Johnson is a resident of Southwest Philadelphia. His bail has been set at $1.5 million dollars due to the District Attorney and Court believing Dominic is a high risk for flight. He has been charged with the following felonies:

• Rape
• Aggravated Assault
• Robbery

The District Attorney’s office has charged him with other related charges. Each charge of rape carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years imprisonment in the state of Philadelphia. With the other charges Mr. Johnson could be spending many years in prison if convicted.

The Court Could Slam the Book on the Suspects Freedom

It will be up to the discretion of the court whether charges will be served in concurrently or consecutively. This is one issue where Dominic Johnson will need to rely heavily on his Philadelphia area defense attorney. Being able to serve his sentences concurrently would shorten his time in prison dramatically. You can expect the District Attorney’s office to fight vigorously for the opposite to keep him off the street if he is convicted.

From all reports Mr. Johnson acted independently in all of his attacks. There currently no reports of his attacks being associated to gang activity in the area.

With multiple charges, plus multiple crimes, the suspect may be facing not only the standard stiff sentencing but further years of imprisonment under Pennsylvania’s two and three strike rules for violent crime. This could increase his mandatory sentencing to 25 years or longer. You can expect his choice of defense attorney to fight vigorously to avoid these additional sentencing guidelines being used.

The women of West Philadelphia may be breathing a big sigh of relief knowing a suspect has been apprehended in these cases. The quick and powerful actions of a brave 35-year old Philadelphia woman provided police the opportunity they needed.