Convicted Tampa Serial Robber Of Auto Parts Stores Headed To Prison

TAMPA, FL — U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Antonio Brown, 45, of Tampa to 17 years in prison for conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime.

His co-defendant, Steven Jackson, was previously sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in prison.

Brown pleaded guilty on June 23.

According to court documents, Brown and Jackson robbed two auto parts stores in the Tampa area on Aug. 29, 2021. They first drove from Jackson’s residence in the Palm River-Clair Mel neighborhood to an auto parts store on North Dale Mabry Highway, where Brown and Jackson carried firearms and wore surgical masks when they entered the store. They pulled out guns, demanded money from store employees and stole approximately $300 from the cash registers.

Shortly after that robbery, police said Brown and Jackson drove to an auto parts store on 50th Street North in Tampa, where they again entered wearing masks and carrying firearms. They pointed their firearms at store clerks and demanded money from the cash registers, getting away with $1,140.

Later that night, Tampa police conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle that Brown was driving. During a search of the car, police found a distinctive hat that one of the robbers wore during the armed robberies, approximately $900 in cash and Jackson’s wallet containing his identification.

Further investigation showed Jackson in the vicinity of the auto parts stores at the times of the robberies. Officers also found the clothes Jackson wore during the robberies in his garbage outside his home.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department.