Police say the victim, 29-year-old Bre’Asia Johnson, was pregnant; two children in the car were not seriously hurt.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The ex-boyfriend of a woman killed in a November freeway shooting was arrested Wednesday in Midlothian after a monthlong search, Arlington police said. The suspect, Malik Miner, 29, is accused of opening fire on a car traveling west on I-20 near Bowman Springs Road on Nov. 12.
Authorities said Johnson, 29, was riding in the front passenger seat when shots tore into the vehicle shortly after 7:40 p.m. Her boyfriend, 28, who was driving, was also hit but steered into a parking lot in the 4900 block of Little Road to meet paramedics. Johnson was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police later confirmed she was pregnant. Two children rode in the back seat and were evaluated as a precaution. A separate, uninvolved vehicle was also struck; no one inside was injured. The attack prompted an extensive search that concluded this week with Miner’s arrest by the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force.
Investigators said early information and scene evidence pointed away from road rage. Detectives learned Miner previously dated Johnson and had been feuding with the driver. A search of Miner’s phone, obtained by warrant, revealed communications with the driver and location history that placed the device near the crime scene. Police said the path captured by phone records closely tracked Johnson’s route in the minutes before the shooting, indicating the victims’ car was followed. “It became very clear this was a targeted incident,” Arlington police spokesperson Tim Ciesco said. He called the gunfire “very violent” and “brazen,” noting that other drivers were nearby when bullets flew.
Officers initially responded to the 911 call at 7:41 p.m. and found the victims inside a car that had stopped off Little Road. The scene sits just north of I-20, where the corridor is lined with gas pumps and storefronts drawing steady evening traffic. Investigators collected shell casings, canvassed nearby cameras and interviewed motorists who had pulled over when gunfire erupted. Officials said the children in Johnson’s car were not seriously hurt but were taken to a hospital to be checked. Police released an early summary the next day, confirming one death and one injury, and later added that the passenger was pregnant.
Miner faces one count of capital murder, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of deadly conduct, according to police. After his arrest in Midlothian, he was transferred to local custody. Court dates and bond information were not immediately available Friday, police said. Detectives continue to process forensic evidence and prepare the case for prosecutors in Tarrant County. Authorities did not announce any additional suspects, and said the investigation remains active.
In the hours after news of the arrest, traffic along I-20 near Bowman Springs returned to its normal rush of evening commuters. Outside the strip center where the driver pulled in, a handful of shoppers moved past as two patrol cars idled nearby. “We think about it every time we hear sirens,” said a nearby employee who declined to give a name, describing how coworkers revisited the moment they learned bullets had struck a passing car. Johnson’s relatives told reporters she tried to shield the children as shots rang out. Police said the pair of children were later released after precautionary checks.
Arlington police said they will release the timing of Miner’s initial court appearance once it is set. The department plans additional updates as the case moves to prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated December 12, 2025.