Man Convicted Of Armed Robbery At Gwinnett Anime, Games Shop

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A former employee of a Gwinnett County anime, pop culture and games shop has been convicted of robbing that store at gunpoint in 2015.

A jury convicted Bereket James Lewis on Thursday on two count of armed robbery, theft by taking, kidnapping, false imprisonment and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

At about 5:20 p.m. on July 6, 2015, Lewis entered the Best Anime Shop, at 4274 Shackelford Rd. in Norcross, and pulled a gun on his victims — employees In Bae Park and Francisco Arauz.

At trial, Arauz said he was working in the back of the business when he felt an object against his neck and heard Lewis say, "Where's the money?" At first, he said, he thought it was a joke because he immediately recognized Lewis's voice, having previously worked with him at the shop.

But when he turned around, he saw that Lewis "was covered up completely" and was pointing a gun at him. Lewis forced Arauz to the front office and told him to get on the ground. He then turned the gun on Park, who was also forced to the ground and asked for money.

Park also said he immediately recognized Lewis's voice. Lewis took about $70,000 and two iPad Minis, along with both victims' phones and wallets.

Police traced one of the iPads to an Atlanta address where Lewis used to live with his mother. A surveillance video also recorded a black Chevy Avalanche near the anime shop at the time of the robbery. Lewis owned a black Chevy Avalanche.

Sentencing in the case has been deferred to a later date.

Anime is a style of animation that originated in Japan but has become popular among many adults and children in the United States. Characterized by colorful graphics, it often features action-filled plots with fantasy or science-fiction themes.

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