HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – James Eugene Smith, 44, Wimauma, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The court also ordered Smith to forfeit the firearm and ammunition. Smith entered a guilty plea on December 18, 2023.
According to court documents, in the early morning hours of January 14, 2023, Smith was driving west on Bloomingdale Avenue in Brandon, Florida.
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Smith believed that a driver in a black sedan was brake checking (applying brakes and causing the following vehicle to slow down) him while a separate driver prevented Smith from passing.
Smith eventually passed both cars using the bi-directional center lane before brake-checking the black sedan in return. The driver of the black sedan eventually drove around Smith. Smith and the driver of the black sedan then exchanged gunfire.
Smith, in an alleged attempt to see the tag of the black sedan, made a U-turn.
After making the U-turn, Smith spotted a gray sedan that he thought was the black sedan. Smith opened fire, endangering the lives of the two victims – the driver and a passenger in the front seat.
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The gray sedan then turned into a gas station. Smith followed the vehicle into the gas station, again firing at it. Neither victim was shot.
At the time of the incident, Smith had multiple prior felony convictions. As a convicted felon Smith is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
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