Phoenix man sentenced 26 years for California police chase, crime spree that ended with him shooting self
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - An Arizona man who was at the center of an Aug. 2022 police chase in Southern California that ended with the suspect shooting himself has been slapped with a 26-year prison sentence.
Before he got involved in the wild Aug. 20 chase in 2022, Samuel Sven Smith, of Phoenix, was wanted in connection to the armed robberies of nine store across California and Arizona. Smith, who is now 28, targeted the Big Lots in Riverside and PetSmart stores in Signal Hill, Orange, San Bernardino, Fontana, Pico Rivera, Redlands, Phoenix and ultimately Rancho Cucamonga.
At the tail end of the wild police chase, Smith shot himself just under his chin. Smith told officers during his arrest that he accidentally shot himself after an officer rammed their cruiser into his car.
"Smith showed complete disregard for the safety of others when he went on his crime spree, threatening store employee with firearms and then opening fire on federal agents," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a statement. "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."