Man arrested with pipe bomb and Antifa helmet at Clearwater protest rally
On Thursday, January 6 at approximately 7:30 p.m., deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida arrested 22-year-old Garrett Smith and charged him with three counts of Make/Possess/Discharge Destructive Device and Loitering and Prowling. According to detectives, on January 6 at 5:00 p.m., a protest was taking place in front of the Pinellas County Justice Center located at 14250 49th Street North in Clearwater in reference to the incarceration of 47-year-old Jeremy Brown.
Brown is currently being held in the Pinellas County Jail on federal charges stemming from the January 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. A federal judge ordered Brown held without bond pending trial. Brown is housed at the Pinellas County Jail under a U.S. Marshal Warrant.
At approximately 7:24 p.m., deputies in the area observed a male, later identified as Smith, dressed in all black clothing, a face covering, and carrying a black backpack, running away from the direction of the protest. Deputies caught up with Smith at 144th Avenue North, west of 46th Street North in Clearwater.
Deputies conducted an investigation and arrested Smith on a charge of Loitering and Prowling. After the arrest, deputies searched the backpack, where an explosive device was located, along with additional items. Also found in his backpack was a helmet with the Antifa “iron front” symbol painted on it.
Smith was purportedly targeting dozens of the attendees of a rally protesting the treatment of January 6 suspects on the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Capitol riot. ~ Post Millenial
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and FBI Tampa’s bomb technician confirmed it was an active explosive device, Gualtieri said. Deputies cleared the protesters in the area at about 7:45 p.m., then brought out K9s and a heat-sensing helicopter to search the area. ~ Tampa Bay Times
Deputies searched the area and no additional explosive devices were located. During the course of the investigation, detectives obtained a search warrant for Smith’s residence, where they located more explosive devices, plus materials like tape and nails used in homemade grenades.
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri described Smith as a “sleeper” stating, “Those are the ones that are most concerning and the hardest to figure out.”
Garrett James Smith Slideshow:
Detectives say Smith has no criminal history and that he lives at home with his mother and father in Oldsmar, Florida. Officials said they have not yet determined why Smith possessed the explosive devices – or what he intended to do with them. Smith remains in jail on a bond of $300,250, according to The Tampa Bay Times.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference on January 7, 2022, to discuss the circumstances surrounding Smith’s arrest.
During his press conference, Gualtieri said that Smith was not cooperating with authorities. Gualtieri did connect Smith with Antifa, “and anti-government violent extremism as aggravating factors in his arrest.”
The full press conference can be viewed here. The investigation into Smith’s activities is still ongoing.
For more on Smith’s arrest, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source and Garrett James Smith Mugshot Photo: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)
~ Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
