Timothy Lang sentenced to 40 years for robbery spree

A Roosevelt man was sentenced to 40 years in prison Tuesday for a crime spree early this year that included armed robberies in four locations in a 30-minute period and the bloody assault of several victims, authorities said.

Acting state Supreme Court Justice Alan Honorof sentenced Timothy Lang on various charges to run concurrently and consecutively. He will serve 25 years on first-degree robbery and 15 years on first-degree attempted robbery, the two terms adding up to 40 years.

The judge ordered the sentence for another 16 counts of charges including assault, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property, to run concurrently.

“Timothy Lang terrorized workers and patrons at four separate locations in Nassau County — all at gunpoint and in a 30-minute time frame,” acting Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement. “His violent spree thankfully came to an end when civilians tackled him as he attempted to rob a smoke shop in Uniondale and responding police arrested him.”

John Marshall of Rockville Centre, who represented Lang, said, “Our notice of appeal has been filed,” adding that the sentence was excessive.

“Mr. Lang himself, he may have been in an alcoholic blackout because he has no memory of the events. He’s still coming to terms with the facts,” Marshall said.

Officials said the spate of crimes began on Jan. 4 at about 6 p.m., when Lang entered a deli in Roosevelt and brandished a gun while demanding money. He took $1,200 from the store’s register and, 10 minutes later, arrived at a Roosevelt gas station and held up a man who was pumping gas at his car, taking $14 from the victim.

Shortly after that, Lang, officials said, targeted a gas station in Hempstead, where he jumped over the counter and beat an employee so badly that he suffered a fractured eye socket and lost several teeth. Lang took $3,000 from that location and then went to a Uniondale smoke shop at about 6:30 p.m. where he struck an employee with the gun, but was subdued by that victim and other employees until police arrived, officials said.

At three of the businesses, Lang was recorded on video surveillance; his clothing also had blood DNA from the two victims he assaulted, prosecutors said.

Proceeds from the robberies were found in his car, where his girlfriend, Kaphia Larode of Roosevelt, remained while Lang went into the businesses, authorities said.

Larode has already pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and was sentenced to 6 months in jail and 5 years’ probation.