An Arizona man pleaded guilty May 15 in a Riverside federal court to a 2022 armed robbery spree across Southern California and Arizona that ended when he accidentally shot himself after a police chase, authorities said.
Samuel Sven Smith, 27, of Phoenix, pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and two counts of brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 17 years in federal prison as well as a life term when he is sentenced in January 2024, according to the statement.
According to Smith’s plea agreement, he went on an armed robbery spree targeting a Big Lots store in Riverside and PetSmart stores in Signal Hill, Orange, San Bernardino, Fontana, Pico Rivera, Redlands, Phoenix, and Rancho Cucamonga—each time brandishing a firearm—from July 31, 2022, until his arrest on Aug. 20, 2022.
Following a $400 robbery at a Rancho Cucamonga PetSmart, Smith fired on officers and fled, leading to a high-speed chase which ended when authorities rammed his vehicle.
When police approached, they found Smith with a gunshot wound underneath his chin—which he said was accidentally fired when police hit his car, according to an affidavit in the case.
