Laquinton Harris
Introduction
Laquinton Harris, 36, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for Hobbs Act Robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Court records showed a masked gunman robbed the Z Mart convenience store at 4015 Fred George Road on January 30, 2026, discharging his firearm into the floor during the robbery. United States Attorney John P. Heekin for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentence, crediting a swift multi-agency investigation with identifying and apprehending Harris.
Background Information
The case stacked three federal counts on a single violent episode: a Hobbs Act Robbery count, a brandishing count premised on the gunman firing his weapon during the robbery, and a possession count predicated on Harris’s status as a convicted felon, which barred him from having a firearm at all. The target was the Z Mart, a convenience store on Fred George Road in Leon County. The release provides no further biographical information about Harris beyond his age and Tallahassee residence, and describes no prior criminal history beyond the convicted-felon status underlying the third count.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted and sentenced.
Court records showed a masked gunman robbed the Z Mart convenience store at 4015 Fred George Road on January 30, 2026, during which the gunman discharged his firearm into the floor. During the investigation of the armed robbery, Leon County Sheriff’s Office deputies found an apparent bullet strike on the wooden flooring and a spent .22 caliber shell casing. That physical evidence gave investigators a concrete starting point.
The trail led to Harris’s home. On April 2, 2026, ATF executed a federal search warrant at the defendant’s residence and found a .22 caliber rifle, which ballistic testing showed matched the shell casing found in the Z Mart. Investigators also found distinctive clothing that matched clothing worn by the robber, including the distinctive ripped pants the robber wore and the gloves worn during the robbery, both recovered inside the home. The defendant’s DNA was found on both the pants and the gloves recovered during the search, tying Harris to the clothing worn during the robbery.
The sentencing structure reflected the violence of the robbery. Harris was sentenced to a total of 108 months in prison, structured as 24 months for Hobbs Act Robbery and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, followed by a consecutive 84 months for Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence. Upon his release from imprisonment, he will be on supervised release for a period of five years. He was also ordered to pay $547 in restitution to the Z-Mart, the business whose floor absorbed the bullet.
Public Reaction and Consequences
U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin said: “This violent criminal tried to hide behind a mask to get away with armed robbery, but now he’ll spend his days behind federal bars. Our community owes a debt of gratitude for the outstanding investigative work of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, FDLE, and ATF, which swiftly led to the identification and apprehension of this dangerous thug so my office could successfully prosecute him. My office will continue to prioritize the aggressive prosecution of crime in this district to incapacitate violent offenders and deliver the safe, crime-free communities our citizens deserve.” The case involved an investigation by ATF and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
Current Status
Harris has been convicted and sentenced, with the nine-year term announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida on October 29, 2026. He will serve a total of 108 months: two years on the Hobbs Act Robbery and felon-in-possession counts, then seven additional years, served consecutively, for brandishing a firearm during the robbery. Five years of supervised release follow his release from prison, and the $547 restitution order to the Z-Mart remains part of the judgment. The release does not describe whether Harris pleaded guilty or proceeded to trial, and no appeals or other pending proceedings are mentioned, leaving the sentence as the final disposition described in the record.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The nine-year sentence means Harris, 36, will spend his next nine years in federal prison, with the brandishing count alone adding seven consecutive years beyond the term for the robbery itself. The evidence trail that closed the case was unusually complete: a ballistic match between the .22 caliber rifle in his home and the casing on the Z Mart floor, plus his DNA on the ripped pants and gloves the robber wore. The prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s nationwide violent-crime initiative and a key component of Operation Take Back America, which emphasizes rapid federal response and accountability through prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, “Masked Gunman Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison For Leon County Z-Mart Robbery”, October 29, 2026 — source