United States v. Antoine Johnson

Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit·Decided January 12, 2026·No. 24-14083·Unpublished

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION

In the

United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit

No. 24-14083

Non-Argument Calendar

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

ANTOINE JOHNSON, Defendant-Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida D.C. Docket No. 6:23-cr-00139-CEM-LHP-1

Before NEWSOM, BRASHER, and HULL, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:

After a bifurcated jury trial, Antoine Johnson challenges his conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(e). Johnson argues that

24-14083 Opinion of the Court 2

(1) the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress; and (2) there was insufficient evidence supporting the jury’s finding that he committed three prior felony offenses on separate occasions—a finding that triggered a sentence enhancement under the Armed Career Criminal Act (the “ACCA”). After careful review, we affirm.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Traffic Stop and Search After sunset on May 9, 2023, Officer Brett Naymik of the Palm Bay Police Department responded to a shots heard call in a high-crime area of Palm Bay, Florida. When departing the area, Naymik observed Antoine Johnson riding his bike across a public roadway with no lights visible in violation of Fla. Stat. § 316.2065(7). Naymik activated his vehicle’s lights and initiated a traffic stop.

As Officer Naymik parked his vehicle in the median, Johnson, now on the sidewalk adjacent to the roadway, remarked, “I put my lights on . . . I put my lights on now.” Naymik responded, “Well they weren’t on, so we are gonna have a chat.” Approaching Johnson, Naymik asked, “You got any guns or anything?” Johnson responded no.

Officer Naymik asked dispatch to run Johnson’s social security number. Naymik asked Johnson whether he was ever arrested and whether he had any “gun charges.” Johnson stated he had been arrested, including for a “strong-arm robbery.” Johnson still sat unrestrained on his bike, just next to a highway busy with passing cars.

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Within minutes, Officer Naymik observed a marijuana blunt perched behind Johnson’s ear and asked about it. Johnson lamented that he had “forgotten all about” the blunt. Johnson handed the blunt over to Naymik, who radioed for back up but left Johnson unrestrained on his bike. Johnson denied having anything else illegal on him.

Around eight minutes into the encounter, dispatch radioed back and did not indicate that Johnson had any pending arrest warrants. A second officer arrived less than two minutes later.

Officer Naymik, along with the second officer, searched, arrested, and placed Johnson in handcuffs. During the search, Naymik found a small caliber revolver concealed in Johnson’s waistband. Enraged by the discovery, Naymik berated Johnson for failing to inform him of the firearm.

Officer Naymik asked, “Are you convicted?” Johnson responded that he was. Naymik asked whether the revolver was stolen. Johnson said he had bought the gun for $200. Naymik also found ammunition and nominal quantities of Alprazolam and cocaine on Johnson’s person.

The officers collected the seized items and waited for nearly forty minutes for an arrestee transport vehicle. During that period, Officer Naymik relocated Johnson to the tailgate of his truck, and eventually asked Johnson, “What are you convicted for?” Johnson responded he was convicted in 2002 for armed robbery.

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B. Indictment A grand jury in the Middle District of Florida indicted Johnson for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 924(e). The indictment listed Johnson’s three prior felony convictions, including:

1. Sale of Cocaine, committed on or about October 29, 1999, and convicted on or about June 21, 2000, 2. Sale of Cocaine, committed on or about February 12, 2000, and convicted on or about June 21, 2000, 3. Robbery, committed on or about June 15, 2002, and convicted on or about August 27, 2008.

C. Motion to Suppress In the district court, Johnson filed a motion to suppress evidence derived from the May 9, 2023 traffic stop, including (1) the firearm; (2) one round of .38 special ammunition; (3) nominal amounts of Alprazolam and cocaine; and (4) any statements Johnson made during the stop. The government opposed Johnson’s motion.

Johnson primarily argued that Officer Naymik lacked reasonable suspicion or probable cause to stop and detain him for violation of Fla. Stat. § 316.2065(7), which requires that bicycles “in use between sunset and sunrise” be equipped with a headlight and taillight. Johnson asserted that he had walked his bike across the road and then turned on proper lighting when he mounted his bicycle. Thus, Johnson argued that, at the time he crossed the road,

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his bicycle was not “in use” such that his failure to activate the lights constituted a violation of section 316.2065(7). Johnson pointed out that his bicycle’s lights were activated at all times captured on Naymik’s body camera footage.

At an evidentiary hearing, Officer Naymik testified and recounted the stop, arrest, and search of Johnson. The government played video of the encounter captured on Naymik’s body camera. Johnson did not testify.

The district court denied Johnson’s motion to suppress. The district court credited Officer Naymik’s testimony and found that he had observed Johnson “riding a bicycle across a public roadway without ‘a lamp on the front exhibiting a white light’ in violation of Fla. Stat. § 316.2065(7).” The district court found (1) Naymik had probable cause to stop and briefly detain Johnson for a traffic violation; (2) Naymik had probable cause to arrest Johnson for illegal marijuana possession; (3) the search of Johnson that uncovered the firearm was a permissible search incident to arrest; and (4) the totality of the circumstances surrounding Naymik’s questions did not require Miranda warnings. D. First Phase of Trial At Johnson’s request, the district court held a bifurcated jury trial. The first phase of the trial involved whether Johnson had, on May 9, 2023, knowingly possessed a firearm as a convicted felon in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). The parties stipulated that Johnson was convicted of a felony prior to May 9, 2023.

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The government called two witnesses. First, Officer Naymik testified and recounted stopping, searching, and arresting Johnson on May 9, 2023. The government published and played portions of Naymik’s body camera footage, which showed him discovering the revolver in Johnson’s waistband. Through Naymik, the government introduced Johnson’s statements that he (1) had a prior felony conviction; (2) bought the revolver for $200; (3) had made a makeshift holster himself; and (4) was convicted in 2002.

Second, Bryan Page, a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), testified as an expert on the interstate commerce nexus for firearms. Special Agent Page opined that the revolver found on Johnson had traveled in interstate and foreign commerce. Page recounted the results of a firearm trace for the revolver, which revealed that the revolver was (1) manufactured in Brazil; (2) imported by a Miamiarea company; and (3) shipped to a K-Mart in Missouri.

The jury found Johnson guilty.

E. Second Phase of Trial The second phase of the trial involved whether Johnson’s three prior felonies listed in the indictment occurred on different occasions for purposes of the ACCA. See Erlinger v. United States, 602 U.S. 821, 834-35 (2024) (holding whether violent felonies or serious drug offenses occurred on occasions different from one another for ACCA purposes must be determined by a jury).

The government introduced state court informations and judgments for Johnson’s three convictions: (1) a cocaine sale on

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