A Phoenix man's trail of terror ended with a 26-year federal prison sentence after his armed robbery rampage led to a dramatic high-speed chase with gunfire, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office. Samuel Sven Smith, 28, faced justice in Riverside, California, after robbing nine stores across Southern California and Arizona, culminating in a violent pursuit that saw the criminal firing at federal agents and then turning the gun on himself.
United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal handed down the sentence, with Smith also being ordered to cough up $8,873 in restitution for his summer 2022 crime spree. After pleading guilty in May 2023, Smith admitted to interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing and discharging a firearm during his violent acts, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Big Lots and multiple PetSmart locations served as the backdrop for Smith's reign of terror, where he used a firearm to take control of store employees. In a spree that spread from Riverside County to Phoenix, Arizona, Smith's disregard for the law and public safety was unabashedly brazen. "We cannot accept such blatant violence on our streets and my office is committed to doing all it can to protect the people of our district," United States Attorney Martin Estrada stated, highlighting the severity of Smith's crimes.
The chase reached its climax when Smith, after making off with $400 from the Rancho Cucamonga PetSmart, traded gunfire with law enforcement who were waiting outside. Racing away, Smith engaged officers in a high-speed chase, shooting at them, until his vehicle was finally stopped by law enforcement. Per court documents, it was discovered that Smith had attempted to take his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound following his vehicular takedown, as he confessed to officers providing life-saving measures on the scene.
Christopher Bombardiere, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Los Angeles Field Division, addressed the severity of the threat that Smith posed to the community. “This is the type of vicious career criminal that ATF’s task force in Orange County targets daily,” he asserted. The task force involves collaborations with various law enforcement agencies to apprehend and prosecute offenders like Smith and stem community terrorizing. Bombardiere expressed gratitude toward the task force, acknowledging the risks taken daily to maintain public safety.
Assistant United States Attorney Kevin J. Butler was responsible for prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the ATF Orange County Violent Crime Task Force with additional assistance from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Efforts such as these underscore the coordinated response necessary to bring perpetrators like Smith to justice, ensuring a reprieve for communities beleaguered by violent crime.
