Merced County jury finds man guilty of assaulting woman, chasing and shooting man

A 29-year-old Sacramento man faces a maximum of 26 years in prison after being convicted of shooting a man and physically assaulting a woman in Merced County last year.

A Merced County jury on June 24 convicted Johnny Thao of attempted voluntary manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon, being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm and misdemeanor battery.

The trial and subsequent deliberations took about two weeks.

According to testimony, Thao arrived at the home of the woman on the evening of Aug. 2 and was upset when he saw another man at the residence, according to a news release.

Thao, who had been in a sporadic relationship with the woman, argued with and then assaulted her. When the male victim tried to intervene, Thao removed a .22 caliber revolver from his waistband.

The man ran, as Thao gave chase and fired five to six shots. The man was struck in the right arm by a bullet and grazed by another. The woman suffered bruising, swelling and redness from the assault.

Prosecutors said Thao already had one strike conviction on his record.

Retired Merced County Superior Court Judge Ronald Hansen heard the case. Thao is scheduled to be sentenced July 26.

Deputy District Attorney Kayla Boyer was the prosecuting attorney on the case and Merced County Sheriff’s Office Detective Daniel Ramirez was the lead investigator.

This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 4:14 PM.