LaGRANGE — A 26-year-old LaGrange man accused of leading a violent, drug-dealing street gang was granted a $1 million bond Tuesday in Troup County Superior Court.

Ted D. “Zoomer” Green of Ware Street has been held at the Troup County Jail since his arrest Feb. 24 on charges of aggravated assault and gang participation for the alleged shooting and beating of Marcel Cotton, 40, of LaGrange.

The bond was granted by Superior Court Judge Dennis T. Blackmon; by law, bond must be granted after a defendant has been held more than 90 days in jail.

According to police, Green was a high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples street gang who, along with another associate, lured Cotton to a home in the 100 block of McGee Street on Feb. 13 where they accosted and shot him multiple times below the waist. Cotton was airlifted to an Atlanta hospital where he was treated and eventually released.

In all, Green is charged with aggravated assault with a gun, aggravated battery with a gun, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and four counts of participation in a criminal street gang.

Unless Green is able to pay his bond amount, he will remain in jail pending a grand jury hearing.

At a May meeting of the LaGrange City Council, Ray Mayer, assistant district attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit, told council members of the area’s impending problems with street gangs.

“We do have a serious problem here in Troup County, but that’s not unusual,” said Mayer. “There’s been a remarkable increase of gangs nationwide and in the southeast region.”

The Bloods, a rival gang of the Gangster Disciples, is one of the major gangs in LaGrange, Mayer said, and now the Gangster Disciples group has started making its presence known.

“They’re very violent,” he said of the gangs. “… They are at war with each other, and at war from within.”

In 2013, the Troup County district attorney’s office handled 123 gang-related cases, Mayer said. The D.A.’s office closed 57 of them, all of which pleaded guilty before trial.

Mayer said in May there were 31 gang-related cases on the docket, with another 35 expected in the future.