Birmingham teen who 'relished' criminal lifestyle caught out after filming videos dancing with gun

A brazen city teen was rumbled by police officers after they discovered shocking videos of him dancing around his house and posing with a gun. Boastful Ashirie Smith, then aged 17, was rumbled by the damning clips on his mobile phone after officers raided his house in Handsworth.

In scenes that resemble a movie, the footage shows the balaclava-clad gunman skipping and dancing around while waving the firearm around. He was also seen posing for the camera in a grey tracksuit while moving side to side with the pistol.

West Midlands Police said the force received intelligence that Smith may have been keeping a firearm at his house on Brays Road in November 2023. Dramatic body-cam footage shows armed cops swooping at the address where they found the weapon, a Walther pistol loaded with five 9mm bullets.

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Smith, now 18, was arrested and officers later found the incriminating videos on his mobile phone. He went on to admit possession of a firearm and ammunition and was jailed for three years at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday, Thursday April 18.

Detective Constable James Cox, from the Regional Organised Crime Unit for the West Midlands, said: “Ashirie Smith is well known to police, and has links to gangs."

"The videos we recovered from his phone after his arrest show just how much he relished in that lifestyle, and it’s believed he filmed them to boast to friends and associates about his access to firearms," he added.

“That criminal lifestyle has resulted in our officers forcing their way into his home in the middle of the night and him being arrested at gunpoint. I’d urge anyone tempted by that lifestyle to pause and think of the implications for them and their loved ones.

“We are absolutely committed to tackling gun crime in the West Midlands, and those involved in it can expect arrest, conviction and jail.”

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