Theft arrest turns to taser takedown after suspect threatens to shoot officers

DISCLAIMER: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A woman initially accused of stealing from a local business was forcefully subdued after an arrest turned physical with police.

According to a report for the Shreveport Police Department (SPD), officers were dispatched to a theft report at a store on Jewella Avenue around 5 p.m. on October 17, 2025.

When they arrived, they located a woman matching a description provided by witnesses. 

The suspect was identified as Shanquia Johnson.

When approached, police say Johnson became physically confrontational, refused to comply with commands and made threats to shoot officers. 

According to SPD, when officers attempted to search Johnson, she reached into her pants, then pulled her hands out in a motion that led officers to believe she might be armed.

SPD says officers feared for their safety and deployed a taser to subdue Johnson to prevent further violence.

Johnson was taken into custody. The stolen merchandise was recovered and returned.

SPD shares gratitude for the encounter ending without life-threatening harm, “We are thankful that no one was seriously injured during this encounter. The Shreveport Police Department reminds the public that threatening or attacking law enforcement officers places everyone in danger and can lead to serious — even deadly — consequences.”

Johnson now faces multiple charges, including theft, resisting an officer, and assault on a police officer.