A Columbus man's violent attempt to resist arrest by firing at an FBI agent has landed him a nearly 10-year prison stint, federal officials said. Jarvis Smith, 29, a confirmed Bloods gang member, pleaded guilty to various offenses including forcible assault on a federal officer, and will now see 117 months behind bars followed by five years of supervised release, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Smith, alongside co-defendant Joshuia Johnathon Luke Brown, known as "Black," engaged in a tense shootout with agents during a 2022 surveillance operation, Smith and Brown managing to escape after the confrontation which left an FBI vehicle riddled with bullets and a nearby home damaged, though no one was harmed, in an incident highlighted by U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary who commended law enforcement's efforts to quash violent gang activity in Columbus. Brown received a heavier sentence of 319 months in prison on January 29 following a conviction on several counts including forcible assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, and involvement in drug trafficking activities.
During the incident on July 28, 2022, Smith and Brown were being tailed by FBI agents amid a broader crackdown on armed drug trafficking. The confrontation erupted after a drug deal on Winston Road when the duo, realizing they were under surveillance, unloaded their weapons on an agent's vehicle, bullets piercing the car and one narrowly missing an agent, as described in court documents. In their attempt to flee, law enforcement units from the FBI and the Muscogee County Sheriff's Office gave chase; Smith was apprehended the same day whereas Brown surrendered after a days-long manhunt.
The aftermath of the pursuit led to the recovery of firearms modified to operate as machine guns, and drugs from a backpack dropped by Smith, alongside a Glock 19X linked to bullets found at the agent's vehicle from Brown's bag, with Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman commending the FBI saying, "This wild west behavior is unacceptable, I am grateful for the work and courage our FBI agents displayed their fruit of their labor in our community and making a huge impact with gang and criminal activity." Without these dedicated enforcement actions," he told the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia, "Columbus's streets would be far less safe."
The convictions of Smith and Brown fall under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide initiative designed to bring together local, state, and federal forces to reduce violent crime and make communities safer. The operation against Smith and Brown was a collaborative effort involving the DEA, local police departments, and sheriff's offices across state lines, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Williams and Crawford Seals prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government.
