A man from Lawrenceville that allegedly robbed a north Forsyth McDonalds at gunpoint and trapped store employees in a cooler, was formally charged with 18 felonies counts in the Forsyth County Superior Court last week.

Kaleem Ariff Tariq-Madyun, 35, was indicted by grand jury on Monday, Feb. 11, for an armed robbery that took place at the McDonalds restaurant off Keith Bridge Road at about 5 a.m. on Saturday, October 13, 2018.

At the time of the robbery, authorities stated that a black male suspect entered the restaurant with a handgun and demanded money from store employees, before ordering them into a walk-in cooler at the restaurant.

A post to Facebook by Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman after the robbery stated that after the suspect fled the scene, employees escaped out the back of the restaurant, flagged down off-duty deputies at a nearby Waffle House and within minutes the McDonalds was surrounded by law enforcement officers.

Freeman’s posts stated that they believe that after the robbery, their suspect was picked up by an unknown person in a vehicle.

Tariq-Madyun was quickly identified as the prime suspect in the case and was arrested later that day at his home in Gwinnett County, Freeman stated.

This indictment charges Tariq-Madyun with two counts of armed robbery, seven counts of aggravated assault, seven counts of false imprisonment and two counts of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

Tariq-Madyun is being held in the Forsyth County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

His case will be presided over by Superior Court Judge David L. Dickinson and will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Heather Dunn.

According to court records, his arraignment hearing is scheduled for March 20.

Attempts to reach an attorney representing Tariq-Madyun for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.

Other Forsyth County Superior Court indictments for February include:

•     Eduardo Cortez Ruiz has been formally charged with incest, statutory rape, sexual battery against a child under 16 and two counts of child molestation. Indictment documents allege that Ruiz assaulted a related minor female in October 2017.
•     Michael Duane Nicholson, 49, has been formally charged with sexual battery and two counts of child molestation. Indictment documents allege that Nicholson committed an “immoral and indecent act” against two female children under 16 in 2017 and 2018.
•     Richard Remy, 24, has been formally charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of drug-related objects, obstruction of an officer, giving false information to a law enforcement officer and possession of marijuana. Indictment documents allege that Remy was found in possession of more than 200 grams of methamphetamine and a handgun on Oct. 22, 2018.
•     Larry Bradshaw and Jason Merritt have been formally charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine and marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of drug related objects. Indictment documents allege that Bradshaw and Merritt possessed more than 200 grams of methamphetamine on Nov. 29, 2018 and allegedly used cellphones to facilitate the distribution of narcotics.