Long Beach man arrested in connection to series of sex crimes, police say
In addition to other crimes, Melvin Aaron Johnson Jr., 34, of Long Beach is accused of sexually assaulting at least two women and a girl between May and October, according to police.
A 34-year-old Long Beach man has been arrested in connection to a litany of sex crimes, and police believe there may be more victims.
Melvin Aaron Johnson Jr. is accused of carrying out sex crimes dating back to April 2014, when he allegedly forcefully touched a girl under the age of 14, according to police and court records.
In May, he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman multiple times near the area of Long Beach Boulevard and Wardlow Road, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
He then allegedly sexually assaulted a girl just west of Long Beach's Bixby Knolls neighborhood in July, and another woman near the area of Orange Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway last month, according to police.
On several occasions, Johnson would allegedly use a gun to carry out the assaults, they added.
Detectives eventually identified Johnson as a suspect in the crimes and took him into custody on Oct. 30, according to the LBPD. Johnson is also currently a "person of interest" in multiple sexual assault cases in Los Angeles County and Nevada, police said.
Court records show he's facing several charges, including forcible lewd act against a child under age 14, forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual assault with intent to commit a felony, sexual battery for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual battery through restraint, sexual assault with intent to commit a felony when a victim is under age 18, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
His bail was set at $3.56 million, they added.
Police are encouraging additional victims to come forward and contact detectives at 562-570-7368.
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