Some thieves break into stores to steal money. Others break in to steal jewelry.

And then there are those who just break in “practicing entering and exiting buildings like a ninja” after reading “Naruto” books, Dunwoody police said.

Christopher Zahyeer Atkins, 25, of Altamonte Springs, Florida, was arrested about 1 a.m. Monday as he was burglarizing a Target store in the 100 block of Perimeter Center Place, according to a police report.

“The alarm company observed a suspect on camera making forced entry into the business,” police wrote in the Facebook post. “Officers quickly arrived on scene and checked the area. One of our officers observed a suspect walking away from the business matching the suspect description seen on camera.”

Atkins was found with a book bag filled with his belongings that included: 10 books, 10 DVDs, an ONN DVD player, a Samsung tablet, Bluetooth headphones, money and a clock.

He admitted to police that he broke into the store “because he was reading the book Naruto, Volume 5,” which was teaching him “how to be a ninja and how to enter secured areas,” Dunwoody police said in a Facebook post. “Naruto” is a Japanese comic that follows an adolescent ninja.

Police said he didn’t take anything.

They booked Atkins into the DeKalb County jail on a first-degree burglary charge.

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The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

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