POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Plant City man currently on probation for attempted murder is back behind bars after deputies say he fired a handgun just feet away from a patrol car early Sunday morning, claiming he was simply trying to create “fireworks.”
The incident unfolded around 1:42 a.m. on January 11, 2026. Polk County Sheriff’s deputies responded to multiple reports of a large crowd gathering in Fort Meade, near the intersection of Seminole Avenue South and Dr. MLK, Jr. Street SW.
As deputies worked to disperse the group and clear the roadways, the situation escalated. Investigators say 51-year-old Christopher Oniel Smith stood roughly 50 to 75 feet away from a PCSO sergeant who was seated inside a patrol vehicle. Smith then allegedly discharged a firearm…