An altercation between two men who’ve known each other for many years–both have been in relationships with the same woman, one no longer is, but is still married to her–began on Lewis Shire Place around midday Sunday, escalated into a physical fight at the Dollar General on Matanzas Woods Parkway, then a car chase involving both men and several gunshots, ending with the arrest of 46-year-old Victor Demtri Smith on five charges, four of them felonies. No one was injured.
Smith is married to the woman who was now dating and living with Luke (the name is a pseudonym, as the alleged victim’s name is protected by Marsy’s Law.) Smith and the woman have been separated about five months. Luke told Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies that he was in his car when he noticed Smith in his Lexus slowly drive past his girlfriend’s Lewis Shire Place house and take pictures as he drove past. Luke didn’t know it was Smith just then. He followed the Lexus and saw it blow through stop signs. Luke pulled next to Smith’s car at the intersection of Lakeview Boulevard and Matanzas Woods Parkway and recognized him.
“Oh, it’s you,” he told him, according to Smith. Both then drove on to the Dollar General, both got out of their cars, and bother got into a fight, with several witnesses watching and calling 911. Deputies would later rely on one video and witness statements to determine that Smith had been the primary aggressor, though Luke also set chase after Smith left the scene. The two men drove along U.S. 1, where–according to Luke–Smith pulled over, with Luke right behind him. Smith took out a revolver and fired about five times as Luke was turning around. Two bullets struck Luke’s car. Deputies arrived in the area just as Luke was driving away.
Smith was arrested, and gave deputies a different account. He said he’d driven from out of state to see his wife (he is living in Lexington, South Carolina, according to the address he gave deputies) but when he saw a gray Genesis in the driveway, he drove on, only for Luke to pull up next to him. Smith said he went to Dollar General to get a drink. There, Luke blocked him in with his vehicle–an allegation deputies said was not supported by video evidence.
It was Luke who sprinted at him in a fighting stance, Smith told deputies. A fight followed before Victor fled and the two cars chased each other through a residential zone, with Luke’s car allegedly striking Smith’;s from behind. Smith said he took out a firearm in self-defense and shot at Luke when he pulled up near him.
Deputies did not give credence to Smith’s account, and charged him with firing a gun into an occupied vehicle, firing a gun from a vehicle, and displaying a gun in the commission of a felony, all second-degree felonies, plus aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a third degree felony. He was also charged with misdemeanor battery and booked at the Flagler County jail. County Judge Andrea Totten set his bond at $96,000 at his first court appearance.
Joe D says
SERIOUSLY…we are living in the WILD, WILD. WEST!
Everyone has a GUN!!!!!
…and (unfortunately) they are NOT afraid to USE IT….
The Geode says
Answer me this. What would YOU have done in this situation? What if someone chased YOU down, came at you ready to beat your ass, and when you drove off, chased you again for miles this time ramming your car? Tell me ONE thing did “Smith” do wrong besides marrying the wrong woman? I, for one, am glad that everybody has a gun. A man has a right to protect himself. You talk as if “Smith” started this when by all accounts, it was “Smith” doing the running and this “Luke” asshole doing the chasing.
Again, WHAT. WOULD. YOU. DO?
Say What? says
The shooter claimed his vehicle was being rammed. He, the shooter also lied and said he was attacked although a nearby surveillance camera showed otherwise. The shooter is the one who showed up to a house he no longer lives at. The shooter is the one who drove from North Carolina armed. The shooter is the one who fired the gun. How is he a victim?
The Geode says
Why argue with someone who is “reaching” by saying that someone cannot LEGALLY drive on a road he used to live? Thankfully he didn’t live on Belle Terre or Palm Coast Parkway or else his commute would have been difficult indeed…
It doesn’t matter if he drove from North Carolina, North Dakota, or The Great White North of Canada, if he was a LEGAL gun owner, what crime did he commit?
If he “fired” the gun at someone who not only threatened him but followed him TWICE and approached him with violence TWICE, he had every right to not only “shoot at him” but put two in his chest. Don’t like it? Take it up with your Congressman.
Christopher says
He may have a “legal” gun owner but you don’t just fire a gun at random towards someone. If he missed and killed a child walking down the street then what? You just can’t go firing a gun at will!
Say What? says
LOL! You’re hilarious. Your literary theatrics are cool for the comment section, but in a real-life courtroom they would put you under the jail for that defense. However, once again your misguided cherry picking of what the unbalanced scales of justice are really about goes over your head.
The next picnic date you have with your like-minded cousin Candace Owens or Uncle Larry Elder why don’t you share with them how fare life was for you growing up in Bunnell.
You’re the first one to throw up black on black crime when it comes to taking a political jab about lawless democrats but the first one endorsing the “supposed self-defense” shooting of another black man. Even with your NRA membership, and the voter registration card you have, you still can’t escape the glass box they put you in no matter how much your self-hate wants to get out. You live by the sword; you die by the sword.
The Geode says
AH! The sweet rebuttal of “ad hominem attacks”. Notice how I didn’t have to go there? Notice how I attacked the facts that were given to me? My ” literary theatrics” aren’t just for the “comment section”, I am quite smart and in a face-to-face debate no matter the subject, there’s NO competition because within 5 minutes you’ll run out of emotional jibber-jabber and seek to harm me. You are the harmless victim they don’t have to fear because no matter WHAT you do – you will always think you’re not good enough until society agrees with you and treats you the way you feel.
See. That is how you respond without visceral reactions getting in the way of actual intelligence…
Joe D says
Well…
If it wasn’t so easy for almost ANYONE to have a gun ( in Florida and many other areas)….maybe this would have been limited to either a fist fight….or at most, a knife fight…as it was, we’re ALL lucky we (or our families/friends) did not get caught in the CROSSFIRE (which is happening across the country DAILY) between these 2 adult “children”
Say What? says
The guy drove FROM North Carolina with the gun!
Atwp says
The world we live in.
Wow says
Since violence and guns are encouraged in Florida I am surprised this is actually news!
Skibum says
There are more grown up, juvenile minded morons waving and shooting guns at people here in FL than anywhere else I have ever lived!
JK says
It’s crazy. I’m reading the police report seeing how many Caucasian people who called the police about “two black males fighting in the parking lot” and are documented witnesses. This being before the gun came out.
About a year ago, broad daylight about 10 or 11 am, near the Italian American Club on old Kings road with cars going at a snails pace. I drove up on and watched car after car of old and young Caucasians cruise past two Caucasian men screaming in each others faces blocking the lane with their cars that they had exited from, one even pulling a Beretta 9mm out and racking the slide as they continued to bark in one another’s face.
Not one of those people called the police. The reason I know they didn’t was because I did and the Sheriffs office had no clue as to what I was reporting. In my mind 911 would have been overloaded due to how many people witnessed it. Traffic was going so slow with my window down, I warned drivers going in that direction as to what was taking place. Fast forward to …. A couple of blacks guys get into an altercation and suddenly there’s a twelve person jury, available and ready for trial. Such a weird world.
Christopher says
Everyone of those people that drove by were busy recording them for their spacebook, instantgram or X(?). They don’t care that someone could get hurt or killed. They are just wanting to get that on their phones! Morons’ all of them.
Brian says
Remember the crack epidemic of the 80’s and 90’s? Well, the crack babies are all grown up now…..
JK says
You hit it right on the head.
The Geode says
As usual, our inept “Law Enforcement” failed us. BOTH OF THEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN ARRESTED! Not only did “Luke” choose to leave his house and chase Smith but he “pulled up next to him at an intersection and confronted Smith”. They agreed to meet at Dollar General to fight and it was “LUKE” who was the aggressor “charging in a fighting stance”. When Smith drove off, it was “LUKE” giving chase and striking the back of Smith’s car again, being the aggressor. At that point, there is CERTAINLY an argument for “Stand Your Ground” because not only did “Luke” choose to leave the safety of the house, pull next to Smith and confirm it was Smith, invite him to a fight at Dollar General where HE was the aggressor, again chase Smith and ramming his car. At what point is this NOT “Stand Your Ground”? Had that been me, I would done the same thing (except I don’t need 5 shots)
“Luke’s” actions initiated EVERYTHING. As I said before, “critical thinking” and knowledge of THE LAW is missing among our “law enforcement”. They are like “water” that takes the path of least resistance
JayRod says
Nearly 4 billion girls on this planet and you two knuckleheads fightin’ over just one. Is it Beyonce? JLo? Of course not. C’mon man.
Christopher says
I wouldn’t fight over either one of them.