Images lead to arrest in Raleigh robberies

Authorities filed 23 charges against Walter Kevin Johnson, 23, of 6124 Braidwood Court, connecting him with eight crimes over a two-week period.

He was charged with:

Johnson was picked up in a traffic stop Friday afternoon, and he was being held in the Wake County Detention Center under a $3.9 million bond. He is due in court Monday.

Police said a tip spurred by surveillance images released Thursday led investigators to Johnson. In the images, a black man wears sunglasses, a white shirt, dark pants and saddle shoes.

Authorities said they do not think Johnson worked alone in the crimes, and they expect to make additional arrests.

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison thanked neighbors for their patience as law enforcement officials worked on the investigation. "Hopefully they can sleep better tonight," he said.

Police and sheriff's deputies have been tracking a series of similar armed robberies since Sept. 22. In all but one case, a man has either robbed his victim or forced them to drive to nearby ATMs to withdraw cash, then let them out and later abandoned their vehicles.

Police linked Johnson to eight crimes:

On Sept. 22, an armed man robbed a couple parking their car in the 4800 block of Pleasant Valley Road. The assailant made his escape on foot.

Later that night, police responded to another crime report in the 4300 block of Furman Hall at Highland at Olde Raleigh apartments.

On Sept. 23, an armed man forced his way into a home in the 1000 block of Collins Drive, held the couple inside at gunpoint and stole money and other items from them before ordering them to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash. Their vehicle was later found near their home.

Another similar crime was committed Sept. 25 in the 1400 block of Hopson Downs Court in Holly Springs.

On Sept. 26, an armed man forced a woman to drive from a home in the 5000 block of Stoneridge Drive to an ATM at Edwards Mill and Duraleigh roads to withdraw money. She jumped from the car, and it was later found dumped near the home.

On Sept. 27, an armed man confronted a woman outside a home in the 4900 block of Wynneford Way. He forced her to go inside and demanded money and jewelry. When the woman refused, the attacker pushed her to the ground and kicked her before she could escape.

On Oct. 4, a woman who lives in the 2400 block of Chelmsford Court awoke in the middle of the night to find in her room a man stole personal belongings and ordered her to write down her family's banking information before demanding she drop off $45,000 at a location the following day.

The final crime happened in the 6200 block of Ridgemount Street in Wake Forest, where a man in ski mask and black gloves confronted a woman getting out of her car, pointed a gun at her and asked her to go to the ATM. She triggered her car alarm to scare him off.

Johnson has been charged previously with crimes in Orange and Vance counties. In Orange County in 2001, Johnson was charged four times with robbery in a six-month period.