Fraternity store burglarized in Atlanta

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By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A suspect was in custody Tuesday after an early morning burglary at a northwest Atlanta clothing store.

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Zeus’ Closet co-owner Monica Allen walks away from the boarded-up window at her store on Tuesday morning. Thieves smashed the glass and stole merchandise.

John Spink, AJC Zeus’ Closet co-owner Monica Allen walks away from the boarded-up window at her store on Tuesday morning. Thieves smashed the glass and stole merchandise.

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Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones told the AJC that when officers arrived at Zeus' Closet, a store on Marietta Boulevard that sells fraternity and sorority gear, they found the front display window shattered.

A mannequin had been stolen from the display, Jones said, and when officers checked the area, they found a man walking away from the business with blood on his clothing and cut hands.

A piece of clothing was found on the ground near where the man was walking, and a store employee identified the item as coming from the store's display.

The suspect, who was identified as Daniel Clark after he gave officers two fake names, was arrested and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment of his cut hands. He was charged with giving a false name and has burglary charges pending, Jones said.

Monica Allen told the AJC that she and her husband opened the store, in the Chattahoochee Industrial District, a year and a half ago.

“This is a really great area,” she said. “We haven’t had problems before, so this was a shock.”

Allen said she and her husband got a call shortly after the burglary, and when her husband arrived at the store, police “had already arrested a gentleman who had blood and glass on him.”

An officer was in the area when the burglar set off the alarm, “and he got here in two minutes. They seemed to be on top of it,” she said.

Allen said the suspect had taken a $300 jacket and a $20 pair of jeans.

“The poor mannequin was down the street -- an arm here, a leg there,” she said, adding that the biggest expense would be replacing the $900 pane of glass.

“That’s the heartbreaking part of it because we’re a small business and every penny truly counts,” Allen said.

Staff photographer John Spink contributed to this article.