Carl Johnson (Outlaw’s Saga)

Carl Johnson (b. 1968), more commonly known as C.J., is a fictional former criminal turned casino stake owner and garage owner in San Andreas, who grew up in Grove Street, Los Santos, San Andreas. He was a mentioned character in The Outlaw’s Saga, being mentioned in a newspaper in Grand Theft Auto: Renegade.
== Biography ==
=== History ===
Carl Johnson was born around 1968 to Beverly Johnson and an unnamed father, who either died or left the family. He was the second child, born after his brother, Sean “Sweet” Johnson, but born before Brian and Kendl Johnson, his younger brother and sister respectively.
Being born in a family home in Los Santos, San Andreas, Carl was raised in a low-income family in the ghetto, having to resort to crime as he grew older. Carl also attended high school with Sweet, and his childhood friends Lance “Ryder” Wilson and Melvin “Big Smoke” Harris, as well as possibly “Big Bear”, “B-Dup”, and Jeffrey “OG Loc” Cross. Carl, Sean, Lance, and Melvin formed the Grove Street Families, with other gangsters forming either different parts of the Families across South Central, the Ballas, or the Vagos, with the Families against the latter two. While Sweet led the Grove Street Families, CJ was the second-in-command. Brian became part of the gang while Kendl was more or less a supportive member, hardly using violence.
On one fateful day, when CJ was 19, Brian was killed by unknown circumstances, possibly via a Ballas drive-by, which CJ witnessed and did not stop or intervene, possibly due to the moment happening too fast and CJ couldn’t help. However, Sweet developed a grudge and resentment towards CJ. CJ decided to leave to move to Liberty City on the East Coast to start over, where he spent the next five years working for Joey Leone as a car thief for money and a street thug.
=== Going Home… - 1992 ===
After five years on the East Coast, it was time for CJ to go home. On one fateful day that changed everything once again, CJ received a call from Sweet, delivering the bad news that their mother was dead. CJ decided to return home to bury her and attend the funeral, considering it was what he could do after spending five years away.
CJ took a flight home and hailed a cab for Grove Street. However, he was suddenly intercepted by C.R.A.S.H. (Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums), who consisted of corrupt cops Frank Tenpenny, Eddie Pulaski, and Jimmy Hernandez, who proceeded to kidnap him and frame him for the murder of Officer Ralph Pendlebury. As long as he did work for them, they would keep him alive and out of jail. CJ was ditched in Ballas hood, but managed to ride on a bicycle back to Grove Street, which he considered home until he “fucked everything up.” As he went inside, he noticed everyone was absent and after experiencing visions and lovingly and solemnly looked at a photo of his deceased mother, he was nearly attacked by Big Smoke, who safeguarded the house. The two had a somewhat happy yet sad reunion. The two decided to head for the cemetery, where CJ had just missed the funeral, earning more disdain from Sweet, although Kendl was happy to see CJ. After another argument between CJ and Sweet, Kendl decided to leave to meet her boyfriend, Cesar, who is apparently an “ese” (a Mexican-American gangster). Sweet then further showed CJ that most of their homies were already killed, with everyone shooting first and asking questions second.
After the funeral, CJ, Sweet, Big Smoke, and Ryder left the cemetery, only to have a Ballas car perform a drive-by on the four. Although Smoke’s car was destroyed, the four stole bikes and rode back to Grove Street.
=== Rising to the Top ===
=== Betrayal, Downfall and Exile ===
=== New Beginning in San Fierro ===
=== The Move to Las Venturas ===
=== Extra Moves ===
=== Return to Los Santos ===
=== Los Santos Riots ===
=== The War on Big Smoke and Tenpenny ===
=== After 1992 ===
CJ’s actual fate was left unclear after 1992. He had become Madd Dogg’s manager, had a stake in the Four Dragons Casino, owned a mod shop and car showroom in San Fierro, and had most of the hoods under control.
However, by 2013, the Ballas had completely taken over Grove Street, 21 years later.
=== Fate ===
* NOTE: This article follows the MinneEagle canon and is not official.
By 2022, an online newspaper article stated that it has been official 30 years since Carl Johnson opened his famous mod shop in San Fierro by 2022, suggesting that his garage business became a booming success. CJ commented on the post, stating “I wanna thank ya’ll for the support, including my late brothers, my sister, my brother-in-law, my nieces and nephews, and all my homies out there,” suggesting that CJ did not have children, but his sister, Kendl, married Cesar and had at least two sons and two daughters. Also, by this time, Sweet had died, possibly from the hostile takeover of Grove Street, where Sweet laid down his life to protect it, but due to overgrowing numbers of the Ballas, Sweet was shot down and the turf was taken over, ending GSF, but allowing it to live on as an urban legend. CJ is still alive as of today.