The Boise Police Department was informed in December of 2021 that the BPD officers involved in shooting and injuring Ezra Smith on July 11th, 2021, were justified in their actions. The Valley County Prosecutor, Brian D. Naugle, determined that the actions taken by the officers were reasonable and the use of deadly force was justifiable. At the time BPD received this information, a criminal case was pending against Mr. Smith, additional details were not available for public release.
The Ada County Prosecutor released the following news release today about the sentencing for Ezra Smith.
Date: June 28, 2022
Contact: Emily Lowe
Public Information Officer
208-287-7700
RE: State v. Ezra Smith – Sentencing
BOISE – On Tuesday, 26-year-old Ezra Smith was sentenced to prison for several felonies related to an incident where he used a stolen van to ram Boise Police patrol vehicles and threaten law enforcement.
The Honorable Ada County District Judge Derrick O’Neill sentenced Mr. Smith to serve 25 years in prison, with 10 years fixed before he is eligible for parole.
In July 2021, witnesses reported a man driving a van recklessly. Law enforcement spotted the van and learned it was reported as stolen. When Boise Police tried to contact the van’s driver, Mr. Smith eluded law enforcement and repeatedly rammed an occupied Boise Police patrol vehicle. He used the same van to threaten a different Boise Police Officer. The event ended in an officer-involved shooting where law enforcement ultimately apprehended the defendant.
In March 2022, a jury convicted Mr. Smith of aggravated battery upon certain law enforcement personnel, aggravated assault upon certain law enforcement personnel, and found that he had used a deadly weapon in the commission of those crimes. Mr. Smith had entered guilty pleas prior to trial to the felony crimes of grand theft, eluding a police officer in a motor vehicle, driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance, and the misdemeanor crime of attempted petit theft. All those crimes were charged in relation to this case.
Mr. Smith has an extensive criminal history, and was on felony probation at the time of his arrest in these charges for the felony crimes of delivery a controlled substance and malicious injury to property.
Judge O’Neill said he could not discount the findings from the Ada County jurors who determined that Mr. Smith “clearly intended to batter and assault police officers – the very people that protect this community.”
“The Boise Police patrol officers’ actions that day protected the community and ultimately allowed my office to ensure justice was served,” said Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts.
Boise Police Department On Body Video of the incident can be found here:
Notes about the video:
- There are videos from three officers on body cameras. They are identified as Officer #1, #2 and #3. Two officers fired their weapons, Officer #1 and Officer #2.
- Officers contacted the suspect twice. Video from both of those contacts is included.
- The provided video stops before showing the injured subject.
- The first 30 seconds of any on body video is video only, not audio. That 30 seconds is from before the officer turns on the body camera.
- The attached video is being made available by the Boise Police Department to provide video relevant to the investigation.