Police arrested one man Wednesday and recovered 20 laptops, tablet computers, cameras and smart phones, including items stolen during a daytime robbery at a southeast Atlanta coffee shop earlier in the day.
Brandon Charles Lawrence, 25, of Atlanta, was arrested and charged with burglary. More felony charges are expected as the investigation continues, said Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos.
Lawrence was arrested with nine MacBook laptops, five PC laptops, two iPhones and an iPod Touch, camera, iPad and e-notebook, Campos said.
Police confirmed that five of the items had been stolen during an armed robbery of the Drip Coffee Shop on Garrett Street around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
In that case, a group of young men descended on the coffee shop and robbed the store and its customers. The suspects took iPods, cell phones, an iPad from the business and money out of the tip jar before fleeing, according to police.
A short time later, police apprehended and charged two 15-year-old boys. Investigators are seeking as many as five more young men in the robbery.
At this time, Lawrence is not a suspect in the coffee shop robbery, Campos said. However, he appears to be the ‘middle man' for the electronic items. The other property appears to have been stolen during recent burglaries.
Police are working to return the stolen property to its owners. Anyone who can provide a serial number to reclaim their property can contact Officer C. Gurley at cgurley@atlantaga.gov.
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