District Man Sentenced To 24-Year Prison Term For Kidnapping Two Men And Assaulting A Police Officer-Armed Attacks Occurred Early Christmas Morning-

     WASHINGTON – Paul Smith, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of 24 years for kidnapping two men and assaulting a police officer last Christmas morning, all while armed, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Smith pled guilty in September 2013, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of kidnapping while armed, assaulting, resisting, or interfering with a police officer, and a firearms offense. He was sentenced by the Honorable William M. Jackson. Upon completion of his prison term, Smith will be placed on five years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, on Dec. 25, 2012, at approximately 1 a.m., Smith approached three men who were traveling in a vehicle near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Sumner Road SE. He asked them for a ride home, and directed them to a building on Chesapeake Street SE.

     Once at the building, Smith pulled out a firearm and ordered the men out of the vehicle.  One ran away. Smith pointed a gun at the two others and demanded their money.  The victims emptied their pockets, and one had an ATM card.  Smith ordered the men back into the vehicle at gunpoint, and directed them to drive to a bank in the 4100 block of South Capitol Street SE.

     Once they arrived at the bank, Smith ordered one of the men to go to the ATM, withdraw money, and give him the money. While this victim was at the ATM, Smith pointed the firearm at the second man, who remained in the vehicle. Once the victim returned from the ATM and handed Smith $300, an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) pulled up. The two victims told the officer that Smith was robbing them. 

     The officer ordered Smith to drop his gun. Instead, Smith pointed his gun at the officer, and told the officer “No you drop your gun!”  Smith then ran away, and the officer followed, ordering him to stop and drop his weapon.  Smith refused to comply with the officer’s demands, and continued to run away towards Chesapeake Street SE.  While on Chesapeake Street SE, Smith pointed the firearm at the officer.  The officer discharged his firearm, striking Smith twice.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Lynette Briggs; Litigation Support Specialists William Henderson, Paul Howell, and Kimberly Smith, and Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Demian S. Ahn, who investigated the case, and Kendra Briggs, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.