Lang
5/16/26
An Iowa City man is accused of a Finals Week assault at the Iowa Memorial Union.
University of Iowa Police say just after 2:00 on Wednesday afternoon 25-year-old Diante Johnson of the Town & Campus Apartments on Arthur Street got off an Iowa City Transit bus outside the IMU, walked inside, and assaulted a subject who was sleeping in a pod chair. Construction workers say they saw a man matching Johnson’s description grab the alleged victim by the hair, pull him out of the chair, punch him repeatedly, and throw him against a wall. The man later told investigators that Johnson had also assaulted him the previous day.
Blood and dreadlocks that had been pulled out of the reported victim’s scalp were found in a study room. Video evidence allegedly shows Johnson at the scene at the time of the incident.
Johnson was located in the 200 block of South Capitol Street Friday afternoon. A glass jar of marijuana was reportedly found on his person. More marijuana was allegedly found on his person when he was booked into the Johnson County Jail.
Johnson is charged with Assault Causing Bodily Injury, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Institution. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum of seven years in prison.