Man allegedly reports fake murder to speed police

[November 11, 2009]  TYLER, Texas (AP) -- Police said an East Texas man has outsmarted himself in trying to get a quicker response from officers to an alleged assault. Tyler police said 38-year-old Mark Anthony Johnson called 911 on Monday night and reported that he'd just committed a homicide and was armed with a weapon.

According to a Tyler police statement, several officers sped to the northwest Tyler location with lights flashing and sirens screaming. They found Johnson, who allegedly told them the homicide was a ruse to get a quicker response to what his real beef was, a simple assault complaint.

Indeed, the Tyler police did act quickly. They arrested Johnson and charged him with filing a false report. He's in the Smith County Jail with bond set at $3,000. A jail spokeswoman said she has no record of an attorney for him.

[Associated Press]

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