2 Michigan men sentenced after threatening people with firearms at convenience store
(CBS DETROIT) - Two Lansing men have been sentenced to prison for making threats and carrying firearms inside a convenience store, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
Quentin Earl Booth, 39, was sentenced to 71 months and three years' supervised release. Derrick Smith Jr., 30, was sentenced to 57 months.
Federal prosecutors say in September 2023, police responded to a store in Lansing about a report that Smith walked into the store with an assault rifle. A witness reported hearing one of the men say "Everybody is going to die," according to a news release. When police arrived, officers spotted Booth putting the rifle in an SUV with a pistol holstered in his pocket.
According to federal officials, surveillance footage showed Smith walking into the store with the rifle, aiming it at the store clerk and at a passing vehicle outside of the store.
Booth, a three-time convicted felon, previously served time in prison in 2018 for attempted robbery. He was also convicted in a domestic violence incident in 2022. Smith previously served in prison for conspiracy to commit robbery in Florida. In 2021, he was also convicted of carrying a concealed weapon.
"Booth and Smith inflicted sheer terror on people just carrying out their daily lives," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten in a . "There is no acceptable level of violence. Those driving violence will face swift justice. My team and I will not rest until every person, in every neighborhood, in every community enjoys the safety they deserve."