The trial of two men charged in the 2021 Valentine’s Day shooting of a 10-year-old Pasadena boy is set to continue Tuesday, September 3, after opening arguments were heard in a Pasadena courtroom last week.
The boy was seriously wounded when he was shot three times in a hail of bullets around 3 p.m. near Garfield Avenue and Parke Street, just a block from the Villa Park Community Center.
Tanaj Johnson, 22, of Pasadena and Joseph Mekhi Knowles, 21, of Altadena face charges of attempted murder and mayhem in the attack that seriously injured Mario Ramirez as he played outside his Pasadena home.
Knowles faces an additional charge of possession of a firearm by a felon, stemming from a prior 2018 robbery conviction.
Authorities say Ramirez was not believed to be the intended target.
Ramirez, a local Catholic school student who loves basketball and video games, required extensive physical therapy following the incident.
Pasadena police conducted a months-long investigation which eventually led them to Johnson and Knowles. Initially they were seeking at least three male suspects.
On May 20, 2021, detectives and U.S. Marshals executed search warrants across Southern California, leading to the arrests of Johnson and Knowles.
Investigators believe the suspects emerged from a vehicle, fired multiple shots, and fled in a late-model, light-colored four-door sedan.
The community rallied around Ramirez, raising over $47,000 through a fundraiser to support his recovery.
The boy underwent multiple surgeries and was discharged from the hospital a month after the shooting, though he reportedly continued to require ongoing therapy.
As of the trial date, Knowles remained in custody without bail, while Johnson’s bail was set at $4.09 million.
The trial, which was initially scheduled to begin on March 4, 2024, is set to resume in Department C of the Pasadena Courthouse.
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