General Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes on Monday increased bond for a man identified as the gunman in three robberies from $173,000 to $950,000.
He bound charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment to the Grand Jury against Antwon Wiley, 20.
His cousin, 21-year-old Alfred Clifford Wiley, bound his cases without a hearing and was allowed to stay on the same bond at the recommendation of prosecutor Ben Boyer.
Judge Starnes, in setting the higher bond, said holdups at 4266 Bonny Oaks Dr.
(Allen's Quick Stop), at 2300 Dodson Ave. (Sunnytown Market) on Dec. 5, 2012, and 2038 S Willow St. (Family Dollar) on Jan. 4, "were all heinous and very dangerous."
A clerk at Allen's Quick Stop said Antwon Wiley grabbed her by the hair and kicked her in the head, leaving her with a knot on her head. The cousins were arrested a short time after that holdup on the afternoon of Jan. 23.
Angela Brown said she was a customer at Allen's Quick Stop when she saw Antwon Wiley standing near the back of the store staring at the clerk. She said she asked him, "What are you doing staring at them?"
She said he went toward the front of the store and was joined with another man. She said she noticed that the long gun held by Antwon Wiley was actually a paintball gun. She said she urged the clerk to stay calm, saying, "He can't kill you with a paintball gun."
Ms. Brown said she followed the pair outside the store and saw them headed for nearby railroad tracks near Youngstown Road. She said Antwon Wiley "couldn't run fast because his pants kept falling down. I could tell you the color of his underwear."
The cousins were taken into custody a short time later.
The gun was recovered. Detective Tim Tomisek said it was a paintball gun, but looked like a real rifle.