Two men on Feb. 14 were ordered to stand trial on 18 counts of armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon in a series of hold-ups at stores in Chula Vista, San Ysidro, and San Diego.
The preliminary hearing lasted four days with testimony from victims and police officers in the case against Anthony Dwayne Bolden, 23, and Lukmond Wade Muhammad, 24, in a Chula Vista courtroom.
Muhammad’s wife, Patria Muhammad, 21, was also ordered to stand trial on charges of being the getaway driver in several robberies, but is not a participant in most of the incidents.
The men were initially charged with kidnapping for the purpose of robbery because some of the victims were moved from one part of a store to the back, but Judge Ed Allard III dismissed the kidnapping charges.
The Foot Action store at the Chula Vista mall was robbed on Dec. 15, and two pizza restaurants were held up on Dec. 10 in Chula Vista, said Deputy District Attorney David Grapilon. Two motels in San Ysidro were robbed on Oct. 8, and other hold-ups occurred at sandwich shops and other businesses in San Diego.
The men were also ordered to stand trial for commercial burglary of each store. They will get a trial date set on March 1, and all have pleaded not guilty. The men remain in jail without bail, but Patria Muhammad is free on her own recognizance.
