A routine traffic stop in Atlanta turned into the end of a four-year FBI manhunt after officers pulled over a Chevrolet Equinox for an expired tag and later discovered the driver was a federal fugitive wanted in connection with a homicide, according to retired Police Sergeant Christopher Curtis.
In a video on his Sergeant Curtis YouTube channel, Curtis said the March 8, 2025 stop began like many others, with officers checking a vehicle tag and asking the driver for identification. But the stop quickly changed when the driver gave a name that would not come back in the system, then ran from officers after they tried to detain him.
“In policing, every car stop is an unknown,” Curtis said. “And sometimes those unknowns can be in the form of a driver who gives you a fake name and then decides to run.”
The man was eventually identified as 27-year-old Justin Smith, who Curtis said was a federal fugitive wanted by the FBI for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in connection with a homicide in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
A Stop Over An Expired Tag
Curtis said Atlanta police stopped a gray 2017 Chevrolet Equinox after the tag appeared to be expired. When the officer approached the vehicle, the passenger began doing much of the talking while the driver gave hesitant answers about his identification.
Curtis said that can be a warning sign for officers, though it does not always mean something criminal is happening.
“Whenever I stop a car, if the passenger does most of the talking, it’s kind of a red flag under the circumstances,” Curtis explained.
The officer asked the driver for identification, but the man said he did not have his driver’s license. When the officer asked for his name, the driver gave information that did not come back in the system.
Curtis referred to that as “the name game,” a common police term for someone giving a fake name, date of birth, or Social Security number to avoid being identified.
“It sounds like that’s what’s happening here,” Curtis said.
The Officer Makes Him Write It Down
The officer then told the driver to write down his first and last name and date of birth.
Curtis praised that move, calling it a strong tactic because it forces the person to commit to the information and creates evidence if the name later turns out to be false.
“If you have a person write down the name, in fact, try it yourself,” Curtis said, explaining that a fake name is often harder to write smoothly and consistently. “Once a person writes that information down on a pad, if it turns out to be fake, guess what? That piece of paper now is an excellent piece of evidence.”
The officer told the driver the name still was not coming back and asked whether he had a photo of his ID. The man said the information was on his phone, but then said the phone was dead.
Rather than letting that end the stop, the officer told him to charge the phone and said he needed to confirm who he was before he could let him go.
That persistence mattered. A less patient officer might have rushed the moment, while a less attentive one might have missed how much the driver’s story was changing. Here, the officer kept the pressure on the identity issue without losing sight of safety.
The Driver Runs From Police
The officer eventually told the driver to step out so he could be detained while they figured out who he was.
“Bro, I’m not comfortable with that,” the driver said.
“That’s fine,” the officer replied. “Step out.”
The driver then ran from the stop, sparking a brief foot pursuit. Bodycam footage showed officers chasing him as one yelled for him to stop running.
“Hey, bro, stop,” an officer shouted. “Hold up. Stop running.”
The suspect was taken to the ground and placed into custody a short distance away. Curtis noted that the video was edited with several jumps, meaning viewers likely did not see every part of the interaction.
He also pointed out a dangerous moment during the chase when the suspect nearly ran into traffic.
“Fortunately, no one got hit by a car,” Curtis said, adding that officers must be careful not to blindly run into a street during a pursuit.
Curtis also warned viewers to watch the suspect’s hands. He said the man appeared to be holding a dark phone while running, which can create a serious risk because officers may not immediately know what is in someone’s hand during a fast-moving chase.
“People, don’t run from the police and don’t have anything in your hands,” Curtis said.
The Name Still Does Not Add Up
After the chase, officers asked the man why he ran. He said he felt uncomfortable being detained just because he did not have his ID.
An officer explained that the problem was not simply the missing license, but the fact that the name and date of birth he gave were not coming back.
“We got to detain you to determine who you are,” the officer told him.
Curtis said officers in all 50 states can check driver’s license information through motor vehicle systems, and they can also use local, state, and federal databases to identify people. In his view, giving false information usually only extends the time a person spends in custody and adds charges.
“Playing the name game is only going to elongate the time that you are in custody and likely get you more charges,” Curtis said.
The passenger later told officers she knew the man as “Prince Omar Abdul Karim,” but that name also failed to resolve the problem. Officers discussed booking him as a John Doe if they could not identify him, which would allow jail staff to use fingerprints to determine who he really was.
Curtis explained that a John Doe booking can create more delay and may add another alias to a person’s record.
A Fake ID Raises More Questions
As officers continued digging, they found what appeared to be a fake Georgia ID connected to the suspect.
One officer told the man that any “leeway” he had was gone because the ID appeared fake and the name he had provided did not check out.
“I know you’re lying about who you is,” the officer said.
Curtis paused on that part of the footage to explain that fake ID laws vary by jurisdiction. In some places, he said, the state may need to prove possession or presentation of the fake identification, so whether the charge fits can depend on where and how the ID was found.
Still, the fake ID only deepened the officers’ suspicion that the man was hiding something bigger than a simple traffic issue.
“You’re on the run for something,” an officer told him.
That suspicion turned out to be right.
Officers eventually sought a fingerprint scanner to identify him in the field. The man resisted the idea, saying he did not want to do it, while the officer warned that continuing to give false information could lead to additional charges.
Curtis said the suspect appeared to be prolonging the inevitable.
“No officer worth their weight in salt is going to release this guy,” Curtis said. “Until you are identified, you’re going to be in custody.”
Fingerprints Reveal A Different Man
Once officers got the fingerprint scan, the man was identified as Mr. Smith.
Curtis noticed that when the officer called him “Mr. Smith,” the suspect did not protest or say that was not his name, which suggested he knew the false identity was no longer working.
“That was interesting,” Curtis said. “He gave a completely different name.”
The information that came back changed the entire meaning of the stop. Curtis said the records showed a parole violation, homicide connection, and an armed-and-dangerous warning, with the original video indicating Smith was a federal fugitive wanted in connection with a homicide.
“This is from the original video,” Curtis said. “Federal fugitive for homicide.”
The stop had started with an expired tag and a driver who could not produce a valid ID. It ended with officers identifying a man wanted by the FBI after years on the run.
Curtis Says The Case Shows Why Tactics Matter
Curtis used the case to emphasize why officers treat traffic stops with caution, even when the original reason for the stop appears minor.
“Car stops are always an unknown,” he said. “That is why I harp on the tactics so much.”
He pointed to the officer’s positioning near the vehicle’s B-pillar, saying it gave the officer a safer angle because the driver would have to turn and extend himself to engage the officer. Curtis also discussed foot-pursuit risks, handcuffing practice, and the need for officers to choose their words carefully on camera.
He noted that officers should remain professional because everything they say may later be reviewed in court or by the public.
The broader lesson is that a traffic stop can look routine to everyone watching from the outside, but the officer does not know who is inside the car. A person with an expired tag may simply be late updating registration, or he may be someone using false names to avoid a homicide warrant.
In this case, the small details mattered: the hesitant answers, the passenger talking too much, the false name, the dead phone story, the foot chase, the fake ID, and finally the fingerprint scan.
By the end, Atlanta officers had done far more than handle a tag violation. They had accidentally brought a four-year federal manhunt to an end, proving Curtis’ central point that in police work, even the most ordinary stop can turn into something much bigger in a matter of seconds.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
