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Mazi Smith pleads guilty to misdemeanor gun charge after Ann Arbor traffic stop

By Amber Ainsworth
Published  December 8, 2022 2:38pm EST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit
article

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - Michigan Football player Mazi Smith pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge stemming from an October traffic stop in Ann Arbor.

Smith pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to transport a loaded firearm in a vehicle. He was originally charged with one count of carrying a concealed weapon, a felony.

He was pulled over for speeding on Oct. 7 and charged Nov. 30.

His attorney said he was in the process of getting a concealed pistol license when he was stopped. He has since received the license, the attorney said.

Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit said the plea deal Smith accepted was the same one offered to and accepted by Eastern Michigan University basketball player Emoni Bates in the fall. When Bates was pulled over in Superior Township, he admitted to sheriff's deputies that a gun was in the vehicle. 

FOX 2's Charlie Langton weighs in on Mazi Smith gun charge

Michigan Football player Mazi Smith is facing a felony weapons charge after he was caught in possession of a gun without a concealed pistol license. FOX 2's Charlie Langton weighs in on the police and prosecutor's handling of the incident.