July 24, 2026

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — Anthony B. Smith, 26, of Little Rock, was sentenced Thursday, July 23, 2026, to 25 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to First-Degree Murder in the death of Clifford James Griffin, 27, of Maumelle.

The fatal crash occurred on September 19, 2024, on Interstate 430 near Colonel Glenn Road. Griffin was driving a 2018 Jeep southbound when Smith, driving a BMW 325 the wrong way, collided head-on with Griffin’s vehicle. Griffin was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash followed a high-speed pursuit that began around 2:45 a.m. when the Benton Police Department requested assistance from Arkansas State Police. During the pursuit, Smith fled eastbound on Interstate 30 at speeds exceeding 125 mph, narrowly missed numerous vehicles, drove through a construction zone at more than 100 mph, and traveled the wrong way on I-30, I-430, and an exit ramp. A Trooper attempted to stop the vehicle using tactical vehicle intervention, but Smith evaded the maneuver and continued north on I-430 South.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Karen Whatley imposed the sentence, which will be served at 100 percent under the Protect Arkansas Act and will run consecutively to a 10-year sentence he previously received in Saline County. He also received an additional five years of supervised release following completion of his Department of Corrections sentence.