MACON, Ga. — Correction: A previous version of this story said the twin boys were arrested on their 17th birthday, they were arrested on Nov. 10 and transferred into the Bibb County Jail from YDC on their 17th birthday in January.
A set of Macon twins are in jail after allegedly robbing seven stores in and around Bibb County.
Reports from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office say Shavawn and Vashawn Coleman were transferred to the Bibb County Jail from YDC on Monday, their 17th birthday as part of "Operation Hamburglar."
Arrest warrants for the pair show the twins allegedly robbed six places in the Gray Highway corridor in a four-month period. Records say the siblings started at the Captain D's on Gray Highway January 28, just five days after they turned 16.
They allegedly held a gun to an employee's head before running off with $500. Warrants say the twins also made stops at the Gray Highway Wendy's, CVS and Dairy Queen. Other robberies recorded in the warrants include the Burger King on Riverside Drive and Spring Street, and a relative outlier: the Krystal on Pio Nono Avenue.
Yolanda Tipton is a manager at Nu-Way on Gray Highway. She says she worries about businesses around her restaurant. One of them is just across the street. It's the McDonald's. The twins allegedly robbed it last April.
"Thankfully, we haven't been hit by any robberies," Tipton said.
Tipton's grateful for that, but it's not just luck. She credits an almost-constant safety checklist.
"We try to keep our backdoor locked and stuff like that. Like, when someone goes out and takes out the trash, we try to go in groups," Tipton said.
Some of her night shift workers even arm themselves.
"Can't just come out and just think, 'OK, everyone's going to be nice,'" she warned. "Like, you really, really have to protect yourself these days. Like, that's got to be something that you put on every day like your clothes."
Tipton says she's always keeping watch on her shifts for potential danger. Hearing about the alleged string of robberies nearby, she's not surprised.
"That's what this world is coming to, that they'd rather argue and shoot instead of talk it out or whatever," she said.
Tipton has some advice for her team, and she says it applies to everyone: be aware and cautious of your surroundings.
The twins are charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, and aggravated assault.