17-year-old Buchholz High School student charged as an adult for possession of multiple firearms, including machine guns

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Garren Luther Johnson, 17, has been charged as an adult with three felonies related to possession of ammunition and multiple Glock handguns, two equipped with a “switch” that converts them to fully-automatic operation; he also allegedly threatened a law enforcement officer during his arrest.

On November 15, 2025, Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call at an apartment in Tower Oaks Glen about a juvenile with a firearm. Before responding to the apartment, deputies checked Johnson’s social media and reportedly found public posts showing him with a black handgun with an extended magazine in his waistband; another picture reportedly showed Johnson with five Glock handguns.

The leaseholder for the apartment gave consent to law enforcement to search the apartment, and the search of Johnson’s bedroom reportedly produced a loaded 9mm Glock magazine, one red-tip 7.62×39 rifle round, four .380 rounds, and three 9mm rounds.

A search of a backpack found in the living room reportedly produced a Glock 19 loaded with 31 rounds in an extended magazine; a Glock 34 with an empty 31-round extended magazine and equipped with a “switch” that converts it to fully-automatic operation; a Glock 23 loaded with 13 rounds of .40 cal bullets in a 22-round extended magazine; and a Glock 19 loaded with seven 9mm rounds in a 30-round extended magazine, also equipped with a “switch” that converts it to fully-automatic operation.

As deputies were arresting Johnson, he allegedly said, “Imma beat your ass!” to a deputy at the scene.

Post Miranda, Johnson reportedly said the bedroom where the ammunition was found was his, but the ammunition was not his. He said the firearms and ammunition in the backpack were also not his.

Johnson has three juvenile convictions for vehicle burglary and thus is an adjudicated delinquent who is not permitted to possess firearms or ammunition until he is 24 years old.

Johnson, who was described as a Buchholz High School student on his arrest report but has been in a juvenile detention facility since November, has been formally charged with possession of ammunition by an adjudicated delinquent, possession of firearms and ammunition by an adjudicated delinquent, possession of a machine gun, and threatening a law enforcement officer with serious bodily harm. On December 31, Judge Denise Ferrero ordered that Johnson will be charged as an adult and set bail at $500,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.