A Central Florida man with a stab wound tried to attack the police officer who showed up to help him.
After a full-day trial, a Volusia County jury found defendant Michael Smith guilty as charged of Aggravated Assault on Law Enforcement Officer (Deadly Weapon), Resisting an Officer with Violence and Display of a Weapon during Commission of a Felony.
On January 27, 2026, Smith was standing on a sidewalk near a busy Orange City shopping complex with a stab wound to the neck. An Orange City Police Officer responded to the location to assist him.
The officer immediately noticed Smith had a knife in his hand and repeatedly commanded him to drop it. Instead of complying, the defendant made aggressive movements toward the officer with the knife.
Over the next five minutes, Smith walked and ran away from the officer, ignoring continued commands to stop and drop the knife. The officer attempted to subdue him with a taser, but it didn’t work because his jacket blocked the probes.
As Michael Smith began entering a bank, the officer shot him in the lower back. Even with the gunshot wound, the defendant continued into the bank and still refused to drop his knife. Other officers arrived shortly after and took him into custody.
Despite his extremely reckless behavior, no employees or customers in the bank were injured. Smith was taken to the hospital, where he recovered from his injuries.
Immediately following the verdict, the jury qualified the defendant as a Habitual Felony Offender based on his violent criminal history. In 1994, he was convicted of Second-Degree Murder and Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon in Marion County and was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
“This case is an example of what your law enforcement officers deal with on a daily basis,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case. “They risk their lives so you can be safe. Please let them know you appreciate their efforts on your behalf.”
The Central Florida case was investigated by the Orange City Police Department with assistance from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Nick Kramperth successfully tried the case for the State of Florida. The Honorable Karen Foxman heard the case and is set to impose sentence on October 21, 2026. Smith faces up to 30 years in prison for the convictions.
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