By WTOC Staff
Published: Apr. 19, 2022 at 3:46 PM EDT
GARDEN CITY, Ga. (WTOC) - A 25-year-old from Savannah was the suspect in a hours-long standoff in Garden City on Monday, April 18.
According to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), 911 received a report that a man – identified as 25-year-old Joseff Orion Smith – had locked himself in a tractor-trailer in a parking lot on Commerce Boulevard.
The driver of the truck tried to get Smith out of the truck but was unsuccessful and told police that Smith had access to a handgun.
The GBI states that officers from Garden City Police and Port Wentworth Police arrived and gave verbal commands to Smith to leave the vehicle. At some point, Smith reportedly fired a gun at police and a Port Wentworth officer returned fire.
Savannah Police’s SWAT team was called to assist. After a few hours of negotiation, SWAT shot tear gas into the cab of the truck. Smith was eventually taken into custody.
The GBI says a handgun was recovered at the scene. No one was seriously injured during the incident, according to the GBI.
Smith was taken to a Savannah hospital for observation before being taken to the Chatham County Jail.
According to the booking information on the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office website, Smith is charged with aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer and criminal attempt to commit a felony.
The GBI will conduct an investigation. Once complete, the case file will be given to the Eastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
WTOC has spoken to a member of Smith’s family who said he has been recently dealing with mental health issues.
According to Chatham County records, the only other criminal charge Smith has had was a DUI from 2019.
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