Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Serial Armed Robber Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Terrian J. Knight (30, St. Petersburg) to 24 years in federal prison for brandishing and discharging a firearm during the course of several robberies. The court also ordered Knight to forfeit the firearm used in the offense.
Knight had pleaded guilty on June 10, 2020.
According to court documents, from January 14, 2019, to July 26, 2019, Knight committed a spree of four armed robberies of stores in the St. Petersburg area. Finally, on July 30, 2019, Knight attempted to rob the assistant manager of a St. Petersburg Family Dollar store as the manager was leaving. During the robbery, Knight produced a firearm, then shot the manager as he laid prone on the ground, wounding him. Knight fled the scene, hiding in a retention pond area for approximately seven hours. He was later taken into custody by law enforcement and the firearm was recovered.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Callan Albritton.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
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