SANTA ANA — A 54-year-old convicted felon was sentenced Friday to 54 years to life in prison for gunning down another man in Anaheim two years ago.
Glen Ralph Johnson was convicted Aug. 29 of first-degree murder with a sentencing enhancement for the discharge of a weapon causing death.
Johnson was convicted of killing 43-year-old Tyrone Portis of Buena Park on Aug. 1, 2021 at Laxore Street and Orange Avenue, near Beach Boulevard. Portis suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, Deputy District Attorney Harris Siddiq said in court papers.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard King denied a defense motion to strike the enhancement, which added 25 years to life in prison. Johnson’s attorney argued for a dismissal based on a psychiatric expert’s opinion as well a statement from the defendant’s sister about how childhood abuse affected Johnson.
“Defendant was 52 years old when the offense was committed,” King said. “The defendant knew what was right and what was wrong.”
King also rejected Johnson’s self-defense argument, which, he said, “was not supported by the evidence.”
King added, “I cannot see a connection between the childhood abuse and this crime.”
Johnson was out on bail for two weapons-related cases, including possession of a gun by a felon, before the killing, Siddiq said in court papers. Johnson pleaded guilty in those cases before sentencing on Friday.
“But for the defendant repeatedly arming himself with a dangerous weapon, he would not have been armed with a firearm at the time of the murder,” Siddiq said.
“The defendant himself testified that he carried a firearm or weapon on an almost daily basis, despite knowing that he has been prohibited by law from carrying a firearm since 1993 … The defendant clearly has no regard for the rules or laws and continues to arm himself with dangerous or deadly weapons, even though he is prohibited by law from doing so.”
Witnesses told police they saw a gunman get out of a white truck, approach the victim and then gun him down, Siddiq said. The suspect got back in his vehicle and left.
Other witnesses said they saw the suspect park his truck moments before the victim, who was in a Toyota Scion, honked, Siddiq said. Johnson walked over to the Scion and confronted the victim, who was standing face to face with Johnson before the shooting, the prosecutor said.
“The suspect then grabbed Mr. Portis with his left hand and then used his right hand to point a gun at Mr. Portis’s chest,” Siddiq said. “The suspect then shot Mr. Portis directly into the chest. After the shooting, the suspect ran toward his white truck and drove away.”
Another witness who heard the gunshot ran over and captured an image of the fleeing suspect’s license plate with his phone, Siddiq said. That witness also provided surveillance video footage to authorities.
A Johnson friend, a partner at a doughnut shop on Beach Boulevard, had called him the night of the shooting, apparently to ask him to help run off Portis, who was allegedly hanging around the shop despite being previously banned from the premises.
In his own testimony, Johnson said he shot Portis after Portis pulled a gun on him and fired the weapon but apparently missed. But no gun tied to Portis was found by police. Johnson’s attorney told jurors that another person could have taken it before officers arrived.
The Register staff contributed to this story.
