On May 26, Plantation police officers were dispatched to the area near the West Broward Shopping Center after someone called 911 to report shots fired, according to a police report. The 911 caller described a road rage incident near West Broward Boulevard and South State Road 7, during which a man driving a Nissan — later identified as 21-year-old Cornelius Johnson — threw items at a Kia before apparently shooting at the car.
The two vehicles then chased each other across Broward County, with Johnson's car running stop signs and driving into oncoming traffic, in an attempt to evade a Plantation Police Department traffic stop, according to the report.
The pursuit ended on a dead-end residential street in Fort Lauderdale, where Johnson exited the driver's side of the car and fled on foot, hopping a fence before officers deployed a K-9 to stop him.
The police report (attached at the bottom of this story) details Johnson's attempt to evade the K-9 and his subsequent arrest.
While it doesn't describe what happened between the time he ran from the police dog and was taken into custody, a GoFundMe for Johnson says he died just 72 hours after the K-9 attack, as a “severe infection” from the bite “rapidly overwhelmed his body, causing organ failure.”
"What happened to Cornelius was preventable, and his death is a devastating reminder of the cost of carelessness in law enforcement procedures," the GoFundMe page reads. "His family is now left grieving an unimaginable loss, and they are asking for any support or contributions to help lay him to rest with dignity."
The Plantation Police Department has not responded to several calls and emails from New Times seeking comment on the incident.
While New Times requested Johnson's autopsy report from the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office, a spokesperson declined to provide it, citing an active criminal investigation.
It remains unclear what criminal investigation they're referring to, although Broward County court records show there's still an active criminal case against Johnson, who faces felony charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing police, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, and resisting arrest over the incident.
Who was Cornelius Johnson (AKA NewAge Jerkboy)?
Johnson, who grew up in Fort Lauderdale, was an aspiring artist who made and published music on popular platforms like SoundCloud and Apple Music under the name NewAge Jerkboy. A self-described "black hippie rockstar," Johnson seemingly made dozens of tracks since 2018, including songs titled "SMELLA OPP" and "STEPPAS."According to his SoundCloud bio, Johnson was "raised by the streets of Tater Town," which he describes as a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood well-known for drug activities and gun violence. He recalled falling in love with music at age 12 and idolizing musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, and Steven Tyler.
But at just 14, he started getting into serious trouble — breaking into homes and committing credit card fraud, the bio states. He was already behind bars at 16, according to the bio. At 19, Johnson turned to music, teaming up with a childhood friend to start rapping. Not long after, they formed a group with other neighborhood friends called the New Age Rockstackz.
According to his YouTube channel, which has more than 9,000 subscribers, he released a song called "Motion" as recently as November 2024.
"No one should have to suffer this kind of pain," the GoFundMe reads, "Not like this, and not without accountability."
