Suspect Wanted in Five Armed Robberies Caught in Boston

The suspect in a string of armed robberies over Columbus Day weekend was caught last night in Boston, MA.

David Lamont Johnson, 20, with a last known address in Trenton, SC, was caught on store security cameras in footage released from Best Car Rentals in Johnston and the CT Plus Convenience Store on Hamlet Avenue in Woonsocket. Both incidents involved violent altercations with the store owners in which Johnson ultimately escaped, but without the money he allegedly demanded. The two Rhode Island law enforcement agencies released footage from the robberies around the same time on Tuesday, unaware they were seeking the same suspect.

According to sources at the Woonsocket Police Department, however, CT Plus was only one of the four city robberies in which Johnson was the suspect. All of the incidents took place over the holiday weekend.

Woonsocket Police, the department working on Johnson's extradition from Massachusetts, have not yet released the details in the arrest, but have announced that Johnson was also wanted for incidents that took place Friday around 11 p.m. at on Diamond Hill Road; Saturday around 11:30 p.m. at on South Main Street; and Monday at 7:40 a.m. at the In and Out Mart in Monument Square, all in Woonsocket.

"As we started comparing the similarities in the robberies we could definitely see a pattern," said Det. Lt. Eugene Jalette. "The suspect matched the same description. Our detectives put in a lot of hours piecing things together."

At CT Plus, the suspect allegedly used a knife and demanded money from a clerk making a deposit at the ATM. At Best Car Rentals, a fake plastic gun was used as Johnson allegedly demanded the store owner's jewelry. Although Jalette was not yet able to release information regarding weapons in the other three incidents, he said the pattern of changing weapons continued. Only one injury was reported as a result of the robberies: a clerk at the In and Out Mart reported a head injury.

Around 12:30 a.m. today, Jalette received a call from the Boston Police Department and sent out detectives from Woonsocket, who are working on Johnson's extradition. 

More information on the breaking news story will be posted as it becomes available.