Update below the jump, with the name of the BSO deputy who fired his weapon.
The incident began after cops pulled over Smith's Honda Accord at the Georgia Pig restaurant in Davie. After a long altercation, Smith resisted arrest, and deputies used a Taser to try to stun him, according to this news release. When that didn't
work, Smith fled and began a high-speed chase heading west on Davie Boulevard.
It
ended when Smith's car went airborne and struck a tree. The release
states that he died at the scene, but it doesn't say whether he died
from shots fired during the shooting or from the crash.
That's
not the only thing BSO isn't releasing. That includes: Smith's address,
the names of deputies who fired shots, how many shots were fired, and
why Smith was being sought by deputies.
BSO says Smith had an
"extensive" criminal history and had been under investigation by a
multi-agency taskforce. The reason for that investigation isn't clear,
and without Smith's address, it's difficult for news agencies to confirm
BSO's claims of his criminal past.
When investigators dug
through Smith's car, they say, the found large quantities of drugs and
$46,000 in cash. But during the crash investigation, BSO officials moved
large vehicles in front of the scene to block news cameras.
What
were they hiding? BSO spokesman Mike Jachles didn't return a phone call
from the Juice this morning, so it looks like we'll add that to the
list of mysteries surrounding Smith's death.
Update: Jachles called to say there isn't much he can release because it remains an ongoing investigation. He said he didn't see anything odd about the details that haven't been released.
"It's still an open investigation. This is a guy who was the subject of an investigation, and it's still open," he said.
Asked why BSO wouldn't, at least, release the name of the deputy who fired, Jachles said: "It's not CSI Miami where it's done in five minutes."
