Tyrone Lee, Armed Robbery, Oklahoma 2018

A loaded sawed-off shotgun, a hail of gunfire, and a fleeing suspect bleeding in the streets — the February 2018 armed robbery of Forest Acres Liquor in Tulsa was chaos in motion. Tyrone Lee, 37, of Tulsa, didn’t escape justice, only blood loss. On Friday, he was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to the violent heist that nearly ended in mass tragedy.

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell handed down the sentence, adding 5 years of supervised release once Lee completes his prison term. The robbery unfolded when Lee, armed and aggressive, threatened employees at gunpoint. But the workers fought back — shooting Lee during the crime. Though wounded, Lee fled the scene before Tulsa police tracked him to a hospital, where he was arrested while receiving treatment for gunshot wounds.

Lee admitted guilt on all four counts in the indictment: using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, possessing an unregistered firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and committing armed robbery. The incident, though brief, exposed the raw danger store employees face daily and underscored the lethal risk posed by repeat violent offenders like Lee.

“Violent criminals like Tyrone Lee are a threat to the lives of every Oklahoman. This robbery could have ended in tragedy, but it ended with justice,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “We are pleased the court handed down a sentence of 22 years in federal prison. Chalk this up as another success story for Project Safe Neighborhoods, as another ‘Alpha criminal’ was removed from our Tulsa streets.”

The investigation was a joint operation between the Tulsa Police Department, FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Fries prosecuted the case, ensuring federal charges stuck where state penalties might have fallen short. Lee will remain in U.S. Marshals Service custody until transferred to a Bureau of Prisons facility.

Project Safe Neighborhoods, the federal initiative credited with Lee’s stiff sentence, targets gun violence through coordinated enforcement across local, state, and federal lines. In the Northern District of Oklahoma, it’s reshaping public safety — one takedown at a time. Tyrone Lee’s conviction adds to the tally: another armed predator off the streets, and another warning to those who pick up a gun to rob, threaten, and terrorize.

Related Federal Cases