He was wanted for domestic violence — and used a mom and her child as a shield, cops say

When detectives found the man they were looking for, they saw that he was with a woman “acquaintance” and her 3-year-old child, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department blotter.

The Fugitive Unit was looking for the man, 34-year-old Lawrence Johnson, under a domestic-violence related stalking warrant on Aug. 2, the report states.

But when the detectives attempted to make contact with Johnson, he used the mom and her toddler as a human shield, police said.

While using them “to physically shield himself from Detectives,” Johnson “forcefully made his way back to the residence he had been hiding in,” the blotter states.

More help was called in — and the department used “open air communication” to talk to the wanted man.

Still, Johnson refused to comply with police orders and he would not release the woman, police said. Johnson tried to escape the area.

That’s when the department’s Tactical Enforcement Unit used a “distraction device,” which consisted of a taser and police dog “contact to bring the suspect into custody.” The Tactical Enforcement Unit is “trained and equipped to handle high-risk situations,” according to the police website.

Once Johnson was captured, he was arrested on suspicion of two counts of kidnapping and for “his actions against” the woman and her child, the report states. He was also arrested under the stalking warrant and two other unrelated warrants.

The mother and her 3-year-old child were not hurt, police said.

The investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published August 5, 2018 at 1:12 PM.