Suspect Arrested In Spate Of Armed Robberies In San Diego, El Cajon

SAN DIEGO, CA — A suspect has been arrested in connection with a roughly hourlong spree of predawn armed robberies that took place last week in Pacific Beach, Clairemont and El Cajon, authorities said Monday.

The first of the four holdups occurred about 2 a.m. Wednesday in the 4500 block of Mission Boulevard, near Crystal Pier, according to the San Diego Police Department. The two victims were waiting for a ride when a pair of thieves drove up, threatened them with a gun and robbed them, SDPD Lt. Matt Dobbs said.

The next three heists -- committed by a lone man wearing a hooded sweat shirt and a face mask -- played out in quick succession at 7-Eleven stores in the 3000 block of Clairemont Drive, the 7800 block of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and the 2200 block of Fletcher Parkway, according to police.

Based on information from the victims and witnesses and the use of automated license-plate-recognition technology, detectives were able to identify 22-year-old Anthony Caleb Johnson of Lakeside as one of the suspects, Dobbs said.

"The ALPR system showed the vehicle (the robbers were traveling in) was in the area of all four cases around the time the crimes were committed," the lieutenant said.

Investigators are still working to identify the second suspect, according to police.

Johnson was arrested Saturday and booked into San Diego Central Jail. He was being held on $200,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

— City News Service