Local and Federal law enforcement arrest armed robbery suspect

Clifford Johnson Jr., 32, of Long Beach, pictured above, has been identified by the Seal Beach Police Department as a suspect in an Aug. 27 robbery that began at the Shops in Rossmoor. Photo courtesy Seal Beach Police Department

Seal Beach Police detectives, the FBI, the SBPD Community Oriented Policing Team, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have arrested Clifford Johnson Jr., 32, of Long Beach, on federal charges related to two armed robberies, according to a statement issued Wednesday, Oct. 30, by the SBPD. The original crime occurred in late August.

On Aug. 27 at about 11:31 a.m., Seal Beach Police officers responded to the area of Bellflower Avenue and Wardlow Road in Long Beach regarding a robbery victim.

The victim, a pharmacy delivery truck driver, stated that while completing a delivery in the Rossmoor Shopping Center, sometime between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., he was approached by two suspects. One suspect brandished a handgun and ordered the victim into the center seat of the delivery truck. Both suspects then entered the truck, covered the driver’s head with his shirt, and drove the victim in his delivery truck to Long Beach.

Once the suspects stopped the vehicle, the victim was ordered into the storage bed of the delivery truck. At this time, the suspects left the area with the victim’s personal property and the delivery inventory of various prescription medications.

According to the statement issued by the Seal Beach Police Department, investigators believe that Johnson was driving a Ford Mustang that followed the delivery truck during the robbery.

Three additional suspects in the robbery remain at large. All three suspects were described as male, African-American, wearing a bright lime colored “construction” style shirts, black pants, and work gloves. The suspects are believed to be between the ages of 20 and 40 years old.

A federal criminal complaint alleges that Johnson was involved in an Aug. 9 armed robbery of the Coslo Pharmacy in Pico Rivera.

Johnson was arrested on Oct. 28 in Hawaiian Gardens and was transported to the federal holding facility in Los Angeles. Johnson is expected to make his first court appearance this afternoon in United States District Court pursuant to a federal criminal complaint charging him with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery.

This investigation is ongoing.  Seal Beach Police are asking anyone with information related to this crime to contact Detective Jorge Muniz at 562-799-4100 ext. 1108.