Suspect Gets 26 Years in Attempted Murder of Officer - Video Released 6/15/11

[medemblikker]

Skip to 5 minutes if all you want is the action!

GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. A Winston-Salem man was sentenced Tuesday to at least 26 years in prison for the attempted murder of a Guilford County sheriff's deputy in 2009.

Daniel Roy Smith, 57, was sentenced to 26 to 32 years in prison after taking part in a shootout with Corporal Wes Mecham on August 29, 2009.

Bank Robbery Mecham stopped Smith near the intersection of Wiley Lewis Road and Pleasant Garden Road around 4 a.m.

Smith had just escaped from federal custody at a halfway house, where he was serving time for charges related to a bank robbery.

Dashcam video released Wednesday shows Smith pulling out a gun seconds after Meacham asked Smith if he had just left a halfway house.

"When I saw the gun, my first reaction was to back up and try and get my gun. That didn't work so well. I tripped and fell backwards in the middle of the road," Mecham said.

Smith then fired two shots at Mecham from point-blank range and missed. Mecham returned fire, hitting Smith five times. Smith then fired three more shots at Mecham, but Mecham was not injured.

"He may have been a bad shot, but I'd like to definitely say that God helped me out in that," Mecham said.

At one point Meacham threatened to kill Smith if he didn't put his gun down. Backup arrived a couple of minutes later and arrested Smith.

After the shooting incident, Smith was sentenced to remain in federal custody on the bank robbery charges until he is 85. After his release from federal custody, Smith will then begin serving the time from Tuesday's attempted murder sentencing.

Sheriff BJ Barnes said he had to wait to release the video until after Smith was sentenced. Barnes said he released the video to show what deputies do in the field on a daily basis.

[Steve]

Justified, well done that cop. one less scumbag walking our streets.

[eurobred]

good shit!

[mothmon]

That cop is Barney Fife. Gave suspect too many chances to come back & blow his hick-ass away. He should have shot & killed the suspect as soon as he started to get up again with the gun in his hand. He's lucky to be alive.

[HumptyDumpty]

I like how he goes all gangster on his ass "You think I'm playin?! I am NOT playin!" , "I will drop you again."

[MasacruAlex]

Such a nice video. Good cop :) Glad he wasn't hurt and he done served justice. Scumbag should rot in jail!

[docfr8]

Very well done. He was courteous and friendly to the suspect. Once the suspect knew he was going back to jail, he started to get all crooked. If the dumb ass suspect was where he was suppose to be (at his halfway house) and not carrying a firearm as a convicted felon, this thread wouldn't exist. Cuddo's to the deputy for his professionalism and how he handled that situation.

[Jysander]

Unfortunately, it appeared that EMS got there too quickly, so now we taxpayers are going to foot the bill for this garbage for the next 26 years.. Kudos to the deputy for teaching yet another scumbag the lesson it so desperately needed to learn.

[SteelReserve]

Originally Posted by Jysander

Unfortunately, it appeared that EMS got there too quickly, so now we taxpayers are going to foot the bill for this garbage for the next 26 years.. Kudos to the deputy for teaching yet another scumbag the lesson it so desperately needed to learn.

Come on you know you don't pay taxes like the rest of us.

[Bassmasterkush]

You got anymore guns on you??? Like you can trust his answer lol