According to law enforcement, officers stopped Johnson on May 5 near MacArthur Park after he made an abrupt U-turn in front of a police vehicle while driving a BMW.
The non profit employee working in Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park area has been arrested on federal drug charges, on the exact same day mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt criticized city-funded harm reduction programs and their role in public drug use.
Christopher Barret Johnson, 42, of Culver City of the People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) group was taken into custody on a federal criminal complaint alleging possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Prosecutors say Johnson was also found with methamphetamine during the arrest.
According to law enforcement, officers stopped Johnson on May 5 near MacArthur Park after he made an abrupt U-turn in front of a police vehicle while driving a BMW. Officers reported seeing methamphetamine in a plastic baggie in plain view inside the car.
A search of Johnson and the vehicle later resulted in the seizure of at least 142 grams of fentanyl and nearly 46 grams of methamphetamine, according to authorities. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison, with a maximum penalty of up to 40 years. His initial court appearance is scheduled for the Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles.
On X, Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt reacted to the arrest writing:: “Unreal. The DAY I released this video detailing how Karen Bass and Nithya Raman are paying unscrupulous NGOs to increase drug use & hand out needles, one of these NGOs on Karen's payroll gets busted for distributing fentanyl. Karen Bass is destroying LA with your $.”
In a video posted alongside the message, Pratt criticized city harm reduction programs, saying: “Currently, Mayor Bass and Nithya Raman are increasing the rampant drug use by using your tax dollars to hand out fentanyl needles, tourniquets, and crack pipes to addicts throughout the city.”
“Actually, the city paying for people to drive around hand out needles and pipes and other things to use drugs. By doing this, they are killing six to seven people every day in the full public view of you and your children, and they pretend they're the compassionate ones?”
PATH, the nonprofit where Johnson works, has been involved in outreach efforts that include syringe distribution in Los Angeles’ Skid Row and surrounding areas as part of harm reduction programs supported by public funding.
Residents and business owners around MacArthur Park have repeatedly raised concerns about drug activity and public safety tied to those initiatives, arguing they contribute to visible drug use in the area.
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