A preliminary hearing date is expected to be set Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court in Alhambra for Alonzo Bernard Johnson, a convicted felon whom authorities say beat and burglarized a 79-year-old South Pasadena woman in August, and who was arrested again in October.
Johnson is charged with residential burglary and other crimes stemming from the Aug. 6 attack in an apartment in the 1000 block of Indiana Avenue. Johnson entered the home through a door left open by the victim who was waiting for her grandchildren to arrive, South Pasadena Detective Bill Earley told Patch in August.
Johnson asked to charge his cell phone, but when the victim told him to leave, he allegedly pulled out a kitchen knife and threatened to kill her, according to reports. While holding the knife to her, the suspect then forced her into a rear bedroom, face down onto the bed and began beating her, police reported.
The woman was saved by her grandchildren, who happened to walk in shortly after.
Johnson was carrying an MTA pass, and allegedly took the Gold Line from L.A. to South Pasadena, said Earley. His last registered address was to a group home on Skid Row.
Earley says Johnson has been in and out of jail since the '80s. He has used several aliases and has served time in state prison, according to reports. Previous felony arrests include robbery and burglary. He was released from jail in July after serving time for a parole violation, said Earley.
And then in October, Sierra Madre police officers arrested Johnson for allegedly committing burglaries in their city. A Sierra Madre resident positively identified Johnson as the burglary suspect.
Back in August, 30 minutes after the South Pasadena attack, authorities nabbed Johnson in the 5100 block of Huntington Drive in L.A., and booked him on multiple charges including attempted burglary and attempted murder.
The victim, 80, was treated at a hospital for a broken nose, unspecified internal injuries, and numerous cuts and bruises. According to L.A. Now., her grandchildren are undergoing counseling after the trauma of witnessing their grandmother being beaten.
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