Early on a Sunday morning in Fort Meade, an incident erupted that brought law enforcement and community members to a tense and potentially dangerous standoff. Around 1:42 am on January 11, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) was called to the scene of a large crowd gathered at the intersection of Seminole Avenue South and Dr. MLK, Jr. Street SW. According to the PCSO’s press release, deputies arrived and asked the crowd to disperse and vacate the roadways. Amidst this, a man identified as Christopher Oniel Smith of Plant City began firing a gun into the air, claiming he wanted to “make fireworks.”
Smith was about 50–75 feet from a PCSO sergeant’s patrol car when he fired a Glock 43X handgun. The sergeant drove toward Smith to subdue him, and Smith was arrested after attempting to flee. He admitted to being intoxicated at the time.
Smith has a long criminal history, including Felony Probation for Attempted First-Degree Murder, a 1996 charge for which he served 14½ years. His prior convictions add gravity to the current charges and highlight ongoing public safety concerns…