Federal authorities arrested two men on Tuesday for an alleged robbery spree throughout the tri-state area.
According to prosecutors, Tony Clanton and Lawrence Dotson were responsible for at least five robberies between January and July of 2023, when they allegedly brandished firearms during their crime spree that targeted both commercial businesses and residential homes.
On Tuesday, FBI agents in Staten Island arrested the defendants, who both have a criminal history and spent several years in prison.
Both Clanton and Dotson were hauled before a federal judge in Brooklyn, where they were arraigned on charges of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery using firearms.
Attempted Staten Island home invasion
Prosecutors with the Eastern District of New York tied the defendants to five separate robberies, with the first case coming on Jan. 20 during an alleged home invasion in Staten Island.
Authorities say Clanton and Dotson arrived at the home on Clinton Avenue in a U-Haul truck, before attempting to enter the residence while dressed in Tyvek-style painting suits.
Their alleged plans were foiled when they encountered two residents of the home, including a child, inside the apartment’s vestibule — leading to a violent confrontation.
One of the defendants allegedly brandished a silver revolver, which he used to strike the elder victim in the head, before firing off a bullet from the gun. The perps then allegedly grabbed the victim’s keys, and tried unsuccessfully to enter the residence.
After a few moments, the would-be invaders ran off, hopped back in the U-Haul van and sped away.
Investigators later tracked down the vehicle, and found it had been rented by Tony Clanton.
Gunpoint robbery of Annadale Smoke Shop
Months later, the perps allegedly struck again when they looted Annadale Smoke Shop in Staten Island.
Surveillance video shows two men wearing face masks entering the business at around 10:15 p.m. on June 3, before cuffing a store employee’s hands with zip ties, and pressing a gun into his back.
The defendants then took around $4,700 from the employee, along with approximately $1,000 in cash from the register and packages of cigarettes from the store’s shelves.
Investigators later tied two getaway cars to the defendants, and cell phone records show that both their phones were used to make calls near the crime scene around the time of the robbery.
Menacing home invasion
On June 24, the pair of alleged crooks took their reign of terror to another Staten Island home, where they attempted to rob Dotson’s friend.
Surveillance footage shows Dotson behind the wheel of a Mercedes, and the victim sitting in the passenger seat outside his home on Gunton Place.
The victim later told police that he had been acquainted with Dotson prior to the incident.
As the two men sat inside the vehicle, Clanton is seen entering the car’s rear passenger door, where he allegedly brandished a gun and told the victim not to move.
The video footage then shows the victim stumbling out of the car, and running into his nearby home. The perps then chased after the victim, who was able to shut the door behind him — locking the would-be robbers outside.
After failing to force the door open, the perps got back into their car and drove off.
Investigators again used cell phone records to tie both Clanton and Dotson to the location at the time of the attempted crime.
FBI impersonation in failed New Jersey jewel heist
Days later, on June 27, Clanton and Dotson attempted to strike again, according to prosecutors.
The two defendants allegedly waited outside a jewelry store in Edison, New Jersey, until the shop owner left for the night. Clanton and Dotson, in separate cars, then followed the victim to his nearby home.
When the store owner arrived at his driveway, the perps approached his parked car wearing bullet-proof vests, marked with the letters “FBI” and makeshift badges.
One of the suspects then used a gun to smash the driver’s side window of the car, and attempted to drag the victim out.
The quick-thinking store owner, however, slammed on the gas pedal and sped off — leaving the would-be perps empty handed.
Armed Robbery in Brooklyn
The last incident came on July 12, when the perps allegedly robbed the owner of an ice cream store in Brooklyn.
According to prosecutors, the victim went to his shop on the morning of the robbery, where he collected stacks of cash from the business. After that, the victim visited a nearby TD Bank outpost, where he changed the $6,700 in cash into larger bills, before heading to his Brooklyn home.
Clanton and Dotson allegedly tailed the victim, and later grabbed his bag of cash at gunpoint at around 2:50 p.m. outside his residence.
Footage from nearby security cameras show the victims allegedly scoping out the victim’s home prior to their robbery.
Read more: Man Jumps to Death from Deutsche Bank Center
