Columbus man, Bloods gang member with prior offenses sentenced for shooting at FBI agent

A second man has been sentenced to prison for shooting at an FBI agent in Muscogee County in 2022, according to the Department of Justice.

Jarvis Smith, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced on Feb. 27 to more than nine years in prison followed by five years of supervised release, according to the DOJ.

The DOJ said Smith pleaded guilty to one count of forcible assault on a federal law enforcement officer, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person on Aug. 9, 2023.

Authorities said Smith had 2013 convictions for aggravated assault, burglary and robbery in Columbus, so he was prohibited from owning firearms.

Smith is a confirmed member of the Bloods criminal street gang, according to the DOJ.

Smith’s co-defendant, 26-year-old Joshuia Johnathon Luke Brown aka “Black,” was sentenced on Jan. 29 to over 26 years in prison after being convicted by a federal jury on multiple charges including one count of forcible assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, according to the DOJ.

The DOJ said Brown is part of the hybrid criminal street gang US World that is based out of Columbus and affiliated with other national criminal gangs.

These charges stem from a July 2022 incident when an FBI agent was conducting surveillance on Brown and Smith as part of an ongoing investigation witnessed a drug deal involving the two defendants, the release read.

The DOJ said an FBI agent was performing mobile surveillance when Smith stepped out of the car he was driving along with Brown and began shooting at the FBI agent’s vehicle, striking the vehicle several times.

Bullets hit the passenger door, roof and rear bumper, and one went through the passenger seat. Another pierced a nearby home’s living room window, shattering a painting on a wall inside.

The FBI agent was unharmed, the release says.

The DOJ says Brown and Smith eluded the FBI and the Muscogee County Sheriff’s office after a car and foot pursuit. However, Smith was later caught and Brown turned himself in after a several day manhunt, according to the release.

A bag dropped by Brown during the pursuit contained a fully loaded handgun that matched two bullets recovered from the FBI agent’s vehicle, the DOJ said.

This story was originally published February 28, 2024 at 1:05 PM.