Walton home invasion suspect sought

Walton County Sheriff's Office press release

A home invasion led to a physical struggle and gunfire between the intruder and several of the occupants.  Just after six o’clock Tuesday night, a masked black male walked through the unlocked front door of a home located on Birch Street in Dune Allen Beach.

The suspect then walked up the stairs to the third floor where three men and one female were watching television.  The suspect pushed open the door and held the victims at gun point demanding money.  The victims range in age from 18 to 27-years-old.  One of the victims, Weston Wagstaff, pretended to comply with the demands but instead reached to get a gun behind a couch.  During a struggle for the handgun which fell to the floor, Wagstaff kicked it to his older brother, Cody Norman.  Norman then ordered the suspect to take off his black hooded jacket, brown mask, and black gloves and then lay flat on the floor. 

After begging to be let go and the occupants refusing, the suspect jumped to his feet and pushed Norman back causing the .40-caliber handgun to accidentally go off.  The suspect then opened the back door and jumped over the balcony railing hitting the ground three stories below.  He got up and ran away.

Walton County Sheriff Investigators have identified the armed intruder as 25-year-old Joshua Johnson of Airport Road in Destin.  A warrant has been signed for his arrest on home invasion with a firearm, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon charges.

If anyone may know of Johnson’s whereabouts’, contact the Walton County Sheriff’s Office at 892-8111, or Crimestoppers of Walton County at 1-866-718-TIPS (8477).