Douglas County Superior Court Judge Robert James denied bond Friday for two men who allegedly stole a 2008 Ford Mustang Thursday afternoon at knifepoint from a Douglas County car salesman.

Robert Charlton Lewis, 47, of Ellijay, and Steven Ray Swords, 37, of Albertville, Ala., are both facing charges in Douglas County of armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle and theft by receiving for their alleged roles in the incident.

According to a report from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, two men arrived at John Bleakley Ford on Thornton Road around 11 a.m. and asked to test-drive a 2008 Ford Mustang.

District Attorney David McDade said the theft by receiving charges faced by both suspects are linked to the alleged stolen vehicle they were in when they arrived at the car dealership.

“They drove into Cobb County, where one of them pulled a knife on the salesman who was riding with them,” Sheriff Phil Miller said Thursday. “They took him (the salesman) to an ATM machine and made him withdraw $100 from his account.”

Miller said the men forced the salesman back into the car and drove west on Interstate 20 to the Post Road Park and Ride lot, where they bound the salesman with duct tape and left him. The salesman had a cell phone in his pocket and called the Sheriff’s Office, Miller said.

The driver’s licenses of both men were also at the car dealership during the incident, making it easy for officials to identify both suspects, McDade said.

The suspects were chased by officers from the sheriff’s office and the Villa Rica Police Department until the driver crashed the vehicle at the Highway 61 off-ramp on Interstate 20.

McDade said both men have extensive criminal histories.

“There is no doubt that these guys are not rookies at what they were doing,” he said.

Lewis is on probation in Gilmer County for what was described in court as “an array of charges.”

Silvers is facing burglary, armed robbery and armed kidnapping charges in Florida. It is unknown if the stolen vehicle left in the car dealership’s parking lot is linked to these charges, McDade said.

He also said both men may face related charges, including kidnapping and additional armed robbery charges, in Cobb County.

Since both men are facing armed robbery charges, they could potentially receive a life sentence. “They won’t be seeing daylight for a long time,” McDade said.

Officials said the cases of both men may appear before a grand jury as soon as next week.