PHOENIX — A Phoenix man has been sentenced to 26 years in prison after he went on a crime spree in 2022 that involved robbing up to eight PetSmart stores throughout California and Arizona, officials said.
Samuel Sven Smith, 28, was sentenced Tuesday in California after he pleaded guilty to two counts of interfering with commerce by robbery and two counts of brandishing and discharging a firearm during violent offenses.
Between July and August 2022, the defendant robbed a Big Lots store and several PetSmart stores in Phoenix and California. He brandished a firearm during all nine robberies, prosecutors said.
After Smith stole $400 from a PetSmart employee in Rancho Cucamonga on Aug. 20, 2022, he opened fire on officers who were waiting for him outside the store. Smith then got in his car, led officers on a high-speed chase and fired more shots.
The pursuit ended after police rammed his car, which caused Smith to accidentally injure himself with his firearm, prosecutors said.
In addition to his long prison sentence, the judge ordered Smith to pay $8,873 in restitution.
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