ORANGE CITY, Fla. — A man shot by an Orange City police officer as he entered a bank holding a knife has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, the Police Department announced Thursday.
A Volusia County jury found Michael Smith guilty of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer with violence following the Jan. 27 encounter.
Officer initially approached to help
According to police, an officer encountered Smith on a sidewalk near a shopping complex with a stab wound to his neck.
The officer approached to provide assistance, noticed Smith was holding a knife and repeatedly ordered him to drop it, the department said.
Police said Smith refused and made aggressive movements toward the officer while holding the knife. Over the next five minutes, he walked and ran away while ignoring commands to stop and drop the weapon.
The officer attempted to use a Taser, but Smith’s jacket prevented the probes from making effective contact, according to the department.
Smith entered bank after being shot
As Smith began entering a nearby bank while still holding the knife, the officer fired, striking him in the lower back, police said.
Smith continued into the bank and refused to drop the knife, according to the department. Additional officers arrived and took him into custody.
No bank employees or customers were injured. Smith was hospitalized, treated and recovered from his injuries, police said.
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