LITTLE ROCK — A Little Rock man has been arrested and charged in a string of about a half-dozen robberies since Saturday, Little Rock police said Wednesday.
Officers possessing arrest warrants spotted 34-year-old Carlest Johnson early Tuesday afternoon at Asher Avenue and Monroe Street. He was arrested after a brief foot chase.
Johnson, whose address was listed as 4700 W. 25th St., faces six counts of aggravated robbery, five counts of theft and one count of fleeing stemming from the armed robberies of four convenience stores and a home-intrusion robbery of an individual.
Johnson, a New Orleans native, was familiar to police, according to documents filed in Little Rock District Court. He had been arrested only two weeks earlier and accused of possessing a stolen car. Detectives working a special burglary and vehicle break-in detail in the Heights and Hillcrest area not far from the home-intrusion robbery reported making contact with Johnson several times over the past several weeks.
The latest robbery occurred Monday night, police said.
A man armed with a handgun accosted a 23-year-old woman pumping gas about 5:15 p.m. at the Valero gas station at 6421 S. University Ave. She gave him $3 when he demanded cash. The suspect then said, "April Fools," and pulled her hair before going into the gas station, a report said.
About seven minutes later, a clerk reported a gunman robbed the EZ Mart at 1624 S. University Ave.
Three of the robberies occurred over a 14-hour period Sunday.
About 1:25 a.m., a gunman robbed the EZ Mart at 11724 Rainwood Road. Less than six hours later, the BP gas station at 4413 Base Line Road was robbed. And at 3:20 p.m., a man with a gun accosted a 23-year-old man inside his home in the 200 block of South Cedar Street and got away with $180 in cash, two laptop computers, a pistol and a 2004 Honda Civic.
The one-man crime wave started shortly before 6:30 p.m. Saturday when the Mapco Express at 2715 W. 65th St. was robbed, police said.
Arkansas, Pages 14 on 08/27/2009