San Diego and El Cajon police arrest suspect in connection with series of armed robberies

A San Diego Police vehicle on the way to the crime scene. (KSWB)

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Police in San Diego and El Cajon have arrested a suspect wanted in connection with a series of armed robberies between the two cities last week.

According to San Diego police, investigators were able to link four incidents that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning in four different communities in the county – Pacific Beach, Bay Park, Kearny Mesa and El Cajon – to the series of shootings.

The first incident occurred around 2 a.m. in the area of ​​4500 Mission Blvd. Two suspects drove up to two victims waiting to be picked up and demanded their valuables at gunpoint before fleeing the scene, SDPD Lt. Matt Dobbs said in a news release Monday.

One of the suspects in the car, identified as a gray Ford Taurus, was described by victims as having noticeable tattoos on his face, Dobbs said.

The second case occurred “a short time later” at the 7-Eleven store in Bay Park at 3090 Clairemont Dr., according to Dobbs. A male suspect entered the store, robbed the clerk at gunpoint, then fled the scene. The suspect was described as someone wearing a mask and a hoodie.

The third robbery occurred at another 7-Eleven, this time in Kearny Mesa at 7801 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Similar to the previous robbery, the suspect was identified as someone wearing a mask and hoodie, according to Dobbs.

The fourth and final robbery identified as part of the series occurred around 3 a.m. at the 7-Eleven at 2270 Fletcher Pkwy. in El Cajon. The suspect’s description and actions were “similar to previous cases in the city of San Diego,” Dobbs said.

According to SDPD, the automatic license plate recognition system, also known as “smart street lights,” helped link the two robberies after the same vehicle was caught near the locations where each crime was committed.

According to SDPD, investigators later identified Anthony Caleb Johnson, a 22-year-old Lakeside resident, as one of the suspects in the case. He was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery after police executed a search warrant on his home on Saturday, July 13.

So far, no other suspects have been identified in connection with the incident and the investigation is ongoing.