A MINISTER who spent his childhood in one of Los Angeles’ notorious gangs has told how he turned his life around to become a preacher in prisons.
Johnny Chang, 34, was recruited into the Wah Ching gang aged just 12 and spent more than a decade in and out of prison.
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From being involved in armed robberies and kidnappings to watching his friend die in his arms, Johnny has witnessed many horrors both on the streets and behind prison walls.
Earning £40,000 a month as a drug-dealing youngster, he described the streets of LA as a “dog eat dog” world exploding with violence.
The 34-year-old watched people being shot, stabbed to death and even raped – sparking years of PTSD.
It was only after his mother’s intervention – and Johnny realising he wouldn’t survive – that he decided it was time to find a new way of life.
Speaking to The Sun, Johnny, originally from China, said he was lured into Wah Ching as he “looked to the streets for a pseudo family” due to his abusive alcoholic father.
He was recruited by senior members who sought him out after they noticed he was from a troubled home.
To be accepted, the youngster had to complete a ruthless initiation process where he had to endure brutal batterings.
“I had bruises, a busted nose. I mean you’re fighting with like 3 to 4 people at a time,” he told The Sun.
“They’re just trying to test your endurance, trying to see if you have the grit that it takes to live the lifestyle.”
Three months after he was recruited Johnny was arrested with charges of armed robbery and kidnapping – for which he ended up “taking the fall” as he was the youngest involved.
He was sentenced to four years in juvenile prison leaving his mother “heartbroken”.
Johnny told The Sun of the horrors he experienced in jail and the “darkness” that followed him outside.
Johnny served him time in the California Youth Authority, a place well known for being where the worst offenders go – including murderers and rapists.
While he was there Johnny witnessed unspeakable acts and had to quickly adapt to survive.
He said: “At the age of 12 I saw rapes, I’ve seen people get stabbed. I’ve seen people get beaten to death and stabbed to death.
“I’ve seen people get choked out. I’ve seen a lot of very, very heinous things.”
Recalling his first night behind bars the ex-gangster said he was warned that if anyone disrespects him he would have just two seconds to react.
“You either punch them, stab them, or beat them up, because if you don’t do that, then everybody will take everything you have from your shoes, your socks, everything it’s really dog eat dog,” he said.
These experiences meant that from a very young age the youngster had cultivated a mindset of “impulse” and “violence”.
And once he was released at age 16 Johnny found it difficult to stay out of trouble.
Just two months after his release he was back behind bars and this time he would be in prison for far longer.
He was convicted of a double shooting – and sentenced to ten years behind bars.
Chaos was sparked after two “rival gangs” were engaged in a fierce car chase clash.
At the age of 12 I saw rapes… I’ve seen people get beaten to death and stabbed to death
Johnny Chang
Johnny said: “I was afraid that I killed someone because it was such an impulsive decision.”
He added: “The weapon was used and intended to harm. I was afraid because I shot up the car and it was riddled with holes.”
Fortunately no one was injured in the shooting, but the offence still carried a hefty penalty.
Following his second release Johnny’s life had been plagued by drugs, violence and crime for so long that he found himself “deep, deep into that lifestyle” and even said there was “honour” in dying as a gang member.
He didn’t even see himself making it past 30 and so thought he should make the most of being a gangster and “go to strip clubs and just have fun and live this crazy lifestyle.”
However this came to an abrupt halt after three “significant events” happened in quick succession and lead to a dramatic turnaround.
The first of these came after he had served his second sentence and was in his late 20s.
Johnny and his pal had hatched a plan to rob a “notorious” drug dealer by holding up his car and launching an attack, but the ploy went horribly wrong.
Johnny explained: “I was going to the right of the car and my friend to the left, but as I was going to the right, he stepped in front of me.
“So naturally I went to the other side, and then that’s when three gunshots rang out.
“They started shooting at me as well. I see my friend and he’s hit in the stomach. He died right there, in my arms.”
After this although the Johnny was making £40,000 a month from drug dealing he found himself consumed by depression.
And, to make matters worse, just a few days after the attempted robbery he received a “very weird” letter from his friend which gave him a bad feeling.
Johnny was shocked when he later found out this was a suicide note and his pal had died in prison.
The final blow before the ex gangster realised something had to change was when he heard that a friend from Wah Ching had been killed in a “car to car shooting.”
“It was just death everywhere. And I started to feel this presence of death and I felt that that it was probably gonna be my time very soon,” he said.
Johnny had realised he was in last chance saloon both with his life and his freedom as if he committed one more offence he would be locked up for life – due to the three strike system.
The troubled youngster’s mother had noticed how her son’s mental state was rapidly declining and said something to him which struck a chord.
She told him: “It would be really sad if you passed away, and this was the legacy of your life.”
The concerned mum had recently converted to Christianity and suggested Johnny join her in church.
He recalled being confused as to why she was happy as she had “no grounds to be happy” and although he wasn’t interested in faith this sparked a curiosity in him.
Shortly after this conversation Johnny ended up going to the church to drop of his mum after her car broke down.
It was here he noticed the smell of his favourite food wafting from the church kitchen.
The pastor was cooking black bean noodles for himself and some others and invited johnny to take some away with him.
But, because in Asian culture this would have been rude, Johnny felt obliged to stay.
This was when he had the first of many conversations with the pastor.
It was just death everywhere. And I started to feel this presence of death and I felt that that it was probably gonna be my time very soon
Johnny Chang
He said after several more meetings with him: “I just really started to question my purpose in life. And then why am I even on this earth? Am I just on here here here to just be an animal?”
Johnny had been feeling “vengeful and angry” and for many years and had been “suffering disturbing flashbacks, PTSD and depression.”
He believes if he hadn’t met the pastor he would either be dead, addicted to drugs and “strung out out on the streets”, or incarcerated for life.
The pastor talked to him about Jesus which he found was a “beautiful thing” and gradually started to feel better.
The preacher “dissected” everything for johnny and helped him see life in a different way.
He said: “There are times where I would cry. I would be like, why did I do that? There’s something wrong with me.
“Why did I rob that person? Why did I do this? Why did I do that? And I was very sad and and just disappointed in myself.”
After meeting the pastor Johnny started going to church and then decided to become a preacher an so went to theology school.
He now goes into prisons to share his testimony.
The ex gangster believes no one is too far gone to help and has seen even the worst criminals have a dramatic turnaround.
“I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen people who are raised hardcore gang members,their family aunts, uncles, cousins, fathers, you know, all in gangs, but they’re able to leave that life, leave that lifestyle.
“Once they learned the the hope and peace that I teach.”
He added: “I’m very, very happy nowadays I’m just peaceful and people are shocked as I used to live in so much chaos,” he said.
Johnny now shares his story on social media and and appears in podcasts.
He has gained an army of 160,000 followers and a recent YouTube interview he did racked up 7million views.
About the Wah Ching Gang
WAH CHING is an LA based criminal organisation founded in 1964 by immigrants from Hong Kong and China.
It’s the oldest active gang in California and was first formed as a protection group for American born Chinese citizens but later turned into a gang.
Wah Ching first made headlines due to the 1977 Golden Dragon Massacre (GDM) – a grusome clash involving another Chinese gang, the Chung Ching Yee.
The massacre took place at the Golden Dragon Restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Five people were killed, and eleven others were injured. None of the victims were gang members.
During the mid 1960s, Wah Ching established themselves in Southern California, mainly around Chinatown, Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.
During the 1960s and 1970s in Chinatown, Los Angeles, the contest for gang dominance was between the Joe Boys, Yao Lai, and the Wah Ching.
But Wah Ching was able to force these gangs out of LA Chinatown due to their violent tenancies.
It soon became the dominant gang in Chinatown, LA and was throughout most of the 1970s and early 1980s.
In the mid-1990s, the Wah Ching was reported as being engaged in murder, extortion, drug trafficking and gambling, and expanded into software bootlegging.
From 1969 to 1991, there have been six murders associated with the gang.
One of these included Harry Ng who was murdered in his Kung Fu studio on March 13, 1972.
The name Wah Ching translates to mean Chinese youth and the menacing group is comprised mainly of men under 30.
The gang are said to wear regular business attire to blend in with the crowd and make it hard for police to distinguish them from other citizens.
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