Police Nab Two In Lakewood Heights Burglary

Atlanta police arrested two men early Tuesday following a handgun burglary of a pawnshop in the Lakewood Heights neighborhood.

They also received a little help from a witness who saw one of the men and identified him after he returned to the scene of the crime.

Police officials noted it was a good example of the Atlanta Police Department's See Something/Say Something campaign, which encourages residents to speak up about what they know regarding crimes that could lead arrests.

Police were alerted to the 4:48 a.m. break-in at the Lakewood Pawn Shop in the 1700 block of Lakewood Avenue, when the burglars tripped the alarm.

When they arrived, they found an air conditioning unit on Rhodesia Street, which runs alongside the pawnshop building.

One of the two arrested was found trying to hide himself two blocks away.

The second suspect was caught after he walked up to the crime scene, pretending to be a spectator. A witness pointed him out and footage from video surveillance showed he crawled through an opening and entered the store.

Inside the store, police found a shattered glass display case that contained several handguns.

The pawnshop owner could not immediately say if any firearms were missing.

Arrested in the burglary are:

• Demeco Perry, 20: Charged with burglary, possession of tools to commit crime and criminal damage to property in the second degree.
• Steven Clark, 20: Charged burglary, possession of tools to commit crime and criminal damage to property in the second degree. He also had an active warrant from Fulton County.

Both men were transported to the Fulton County Jail.