A Lawrenceville man has been arrested by Gwinnett County police and charged with several crimes related to the armed robbery of a gas station late last month.
Christopher Demetrius Gates, 31, was arrested and booked into the Gwinnett jail Saturday. He was charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, theft by receiving stolen property, forgery, possession of methamphetamine and a traffic citation.
The robbery took place June 26 at the RaceTrac at 3405 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville. The employee who called 911 said a man came into the store around 11:30 p.m. He allowed a couple to go in front of him in line before stepping to the counter. Once the register was open, the man pulled a gun on the employee and demanded all the cash in the register.
According to the incident report, the employee said Gates came into the store regularly and that the RaceTrac employees thought he might be homeless. The employee described the gun as a long-barreled revolver that appeared old and rusty.
The robbery may have been a crime of opportunity; the store employee told police that not long before the incident, a couple of other regular customers had purchased multiple cartons of cigarettes with cash. The cash register, which usually holds about $80, was filled with more than $600.
Gates is being held without bond.
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Credit: AJC
