Arrest made in Riverview drive-by

The man charged in the June 29 incident is said to be a member of a Hillsborough gang.

By AMBER MOBLEY, Times Staff Writer
Published August 5, 2007

A fight.

Then shots fired.

Now, nearly 40 days later, five felony charges for a known gang member.

Hillsborough County sheriff's detectives arrested Antwain "Smitty" Powers, 19, on Friday and charged him with attempted murder and four counts of aggravated assault in connection with a June 29 drive-by shooting in Riverview.

On that Friday night at about 11:30 p.m., a 16-year-old was standing outside his home on Bamboo Rod Circle with four friends when someone from a passing car fired gunshots, according to police reports.

The teen was struck once in the right side of his abdomen and taken to Tampa General Hospital.

Detectives determined that one of the friends who was with the teen when he was shot had some type of altercation with Powers at a convenience store at Boyette Road and Fishhawk Boulevard earlier in the evening, according to police reports.

Powers, say police, is a known member of the Raw Dawgs gang that operates in eastern Hillsborough County. He was arrested at his home, 7746 Carriage Point Drive in Gibsonton.

Powers was taken to the Orient Road Jail where, in addition to the attempted murder and aggravated assault charges, he was also charged with discharging a firearm in public. He is being held without bond.

Powers' most recent arrest was July 29 when he was charged with robbery by sudden snatching. He was arrested in April for possession of a controlled substance and in April 2006 for trespassing.

Powers' stepbrother, Leland "Smoke" Johnson, was recently sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing Christina Veltri on Sept. 13.

A gang member with Raw Dawgs, according to police, Johnson, then 19 years old, fired a .380 automatic handgun six times into a vehicle occupied by Veltri and three other people.

Amber Mobley can be reached at amobley@sptimes.com or 813 269-5311.

[Last modified October 30, 2007, 12:13:11]