Diabetes to blame for man running over woman, backers say

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. -- A man may have been having a diabetic episode when he allegedly ran over a stranger because she was black and Jesus told him to do it, his backers told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for a copyright story Sunday.

Steven Johnson's blood sugar level was three times the normal rate when he allegedly made a U-turn on Jan. 27 to run down a woman at a suburban St. Louis bus stop, according to documents provided by his family.

Johnson, 47, a white salesman from St. Peters, also suffered several seizures at the police department and Forest Park Hospital, where he was taken after the crash.

Police said they found Johnson sitting at the wheel, and that he told them Jesus was riding along and instructed "Bad Steve" to do what he did. He also said "something to the effect that he struck her because she was black," University City police Capt. Ernest Green has said.

"I know there had to be something terribly wrong that day," Doug Walsh said of his friend.

Walsh said he has seen diabetes make Johnson obnoxious, but never violent.

"He's one of the nicest guys on the planet," Walsh said of Johnson, who lost his wife to brain cancer in 1996.

Johnson, charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, is accused of running over retiree Eleanor Hickerson as she waited at a bus stop.

Hickerson, 56, of University City, survived her injuries, including internal bleeding and serious cuts and bruises related to being knocked down and dragged nearly 100 feet under the car.

"We are praying for her," said Johnson's mother, Doris. "We are just very thankful that she is going to recover."

Hickerson has declined to publicly discuss the matter.

Since he was 7, his backers say, Johnson had to monitor his diet and take insulin injections to manage his Type 1 diabetes, and he has carried Lifesavers candy for diabetic emergencies.

A co-worker told Johnson's family that he had been acting strangely just before lunch Jan. 27, making several bizarre statements with a strange look on his face before leaving his work at a local spice company.

St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch said prosecutors would weigh all the circumstances when deciding how to pursue the case.

"Clearly he was not thinking rationally," he said. "What is important is that he's off the street and not a danger."