FULLERTON : New Law Applied in Carjacking, Attack

A new law aimed at cracking down on carjackers was used Wednesday against a 22-year-old Los Angeles man charged with shooting an Anaheim man in the mouth while stealing his car, prosecutors said.

John Edward Smith faces arraignment Dec. 28 in Municipal Court here on carjacking, attempted murder, aggravated mayhem and weapons charges, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Teresa Hicks.

Smith is accused of shooting Jerry Glen Atkins, 30, in the face early Monday evening as Atkins was in the parking lot at Cigna Health Center in the 1400 block of Brookhurst Street. Atkins was waiting for his son to be treated for allergies.

Prosecutors allege that Smith ordered Atkins to the ground, pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger repeatedly. When the gun misfired, Atkins tried to flee. Police said Smith then shot Atkins in the mouth and fled in the victim’s car.

Atkins ran into the medical clinic, where he was treated and then transferred to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he remains in stable condition, a nursing supervisor said Wednesday.

A few hours after the attack, Smith was arrested in Los Angeles.

Smith is among the first in Orange County to be charged with carjacking under a law signed by Gov. Pete Wilson in October that toughens penalties for people who use force against drivers during a vehicle theft, said Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lett, who filed charges against Smith.

Under the new law, carjackers who kill their victims face life in prison. Nonfatal carjackings carry a maximum penalty of nine years in prison--longer than robbery or car-theft convictions.