Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

WASHINGTON – On Friday, Sept. 18, at approximately 12:10 a.m., Dominique Dejone Thurston, 22, of Gordonsville, Va., was arrested by Detectives from Albemarle County Police Department and Special Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division in connection with an armed robbery in Albemarle County. Thurston is charged in state court with robbery; use or display of a firearm in committing a felony; shooting stabbing, etc. with the intent to maim, kill, etc.; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

At approximately 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, an alarm call came into Albemarle County Police Department dispatch for the 7-11 located at 1915 Boulderview Rd. in Charlottesville. The clerk was assaulted. Albemarle County Police Department Detectives and ATF Special Agents were in the area and apprehended Thurston a short distance from the business. A firearm was recovered in Thurston’s possession. Thurston is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a previous felony conviction in 2013.

Thurston is allegedly involved in numerous other armed robberies that have taken place throughout the Charlottesville area since June. A reward announcement was previously released by ATF on Tuesday, Sept. 15, for information about two suspects in these incidents. Evidence recovered by investigators since Thurston’s arrest has led them to conclude that there was only one suspect involved. ATF Special Agents continue working this investigation alongside detectives from Albemarle County Police Department, Charlottesville Police Department, and Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.

ATF is a federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice whose mission is to prevent, interrupt and remove violent gun crime from American communities. The Washington Field Division works with local, state and federal law enforcement and public safety organizations to combat violent gun crime in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Booking photo of Dominique Dejone Thurston courtesy of Albemarle County Police Department