The 25-year-old man accused of robbing a Waffle House and then involving police in a four-hour standoff remained Wednesday night in the DeKalb County jail, where he was being held without bond.
A second suspect in the Tuesday heist was later released from custody after an investigation cleared him of being involved in the crime, according to police.
DeKalb police had spent much of Tuesday afternoon and evening attempting to corral a suspect they identified Wednesday as Aundray Perrell Bolden. The standoff began shortly after 3 p.m. with the alleged robbery of the Waffle House near I-20 and Evans Mill Road.
One suspect was quickly taken into custody, according to Lt. Pamela Kunz with DeKalb police.
Bolden fled to a nearby parking lot. He allegedly was armed with a handgun and held off a SWAT team and other police officers who were called to the scene.
The man refused to cooperate with police and was seen dancing and pointing a gun to his head, according to images from the Channel 2 Action News helicopter.
At one point, the suspect took off his white T-shirt as he moved around the empty lot. Officers attempted to communicate with him using a public address system.
The Waffle House and other businesses in the area, including a Krystal restaurant and a tire shop, were evacuated during the incident. MARTA buses were temporarily re-routed to avoid the area, and some area streets were closed due to the police activity.
Bolden finally was taken into custody around 7:30 p.m., according to police. He is charged with attempting to commit a crime, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and obstruction, according to DeKalb County jail records.
Bolden's criminal history includes a February arrest on child molestation and sexual battery charges, jail records show.
Two women in the Waffle House at the time of the robbery spoke with Channel 2.
“It was real terrifying," China Terrell said. "I was really scared, because I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I run? Or what? Because I really thought they were going to try and rob us, kill us. I don’t know, I just know that I saw the gun in his pocket, and he was about to draw it.”
Sumner Canty said, “I was terrified. I just wanted to go home. I just wanted to look out for my safety. I’m just ready to see my mom at the end of the day. I was looking for a job; I didn’t expect to get robbed right then and there."
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