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Press Release

Temple Hills Felon Who Discharged a Firearm During Robbery of a Pharmacy While Demanding Oxycodone and Money from the Register Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland
Convicted by a Jury After A Three-Day Federal Trial of Robbery, Brandishing and Discharge of a Firearm and for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang today sentenced Tyrek Montez Arrington, age 24, of Temple Hills, Maryland, to 11 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, on federal charges for robbing a pharmacy, for discharging a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Arrington was convicted of those crimes by a federal jury on April 7, 2021, after two hours of deliberation.

The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Malik Azziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to evidence presented at Arrington’s three-day trial, on October 15, 2019, Arrington entered a drug store in Clinton, Maryland wearing a surgical mask and black latex gloves.  Armed with a handgun, Arrington walked to the pharmacy area and entered the pharmacist booth.  Arrington pointed the gun at the pharmacist and demanded oxycodone from a safe.  Arrington then demanded that the pharmacist open the cash register.  Arrington fired one round into the ceiling then took the cash drawer from the register.  Witnesses testified that Arrington attempted to flee with the cash drawer taken from the register.  Two law enforcement officers encountered Arrington in the store as he was attempting to flee.  One officer saw Arrington with the cash drawer in his hand and ordered Arrington to the ground.  Arrington dropped the cash drawer and the handgun and tried to evade the first officer, but ran into the second officer and was arrested. 

According to trial evidence, law enforcement collected a live round and a spent shell casing from behind the counter.  They also recovered the handgun that Arrington dropped—a loaded .22-caliber handgun.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dwight Draughon and William D. Moomau, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Contact

Marcia Murphy
(410) 209-4854

Updated July 29, 2021

Topics
Firearms Offenses
Violent Crime