SAINT MICHAEL—Brandon Gardas--the suspect in a 44-hour long standoff in Saint Michael last week--has been charged with two counts of 1st-degree attempted murder of a peace officer, two counts of 1st-degree assault, threats and several other charges, according to Wright County officials.
Gardas was airlifted to a hospital last Wednesday after being shot by police during the standoff, which stretched from early Tuesday through Wednesday evening. Gardas is accused of firing multiple rounds toward officers on multiple occasions during the ordeal, though no officers were injured.
At approximately 7 p.m. on June 22, a determination was made for law enforcement to enter the residence to apprehend Gardas. Several officers from the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, Saint Cloud Police Department and Stearns County Sheriff’s Office entered the residence.
Gardas was located in a room hiding under blankets, the court documents said, and was in possession of a black rifle. Officers struck Gardas with a non-lethal 40 mm foam baton round and he ran to another area of the home while holding the rifle.
When officers were in the home, Gardas allegedly shot at them at least once. He made it to the top of some stairs and, after multiple commands to to put his hands up and surrender, Gardas then opened fire at members of the Saint Cloud Police Department SWAT team.
Gardas was then struck by a bullet in the upper chest by an officer who returned fire. After being shot, Gardas refused to cooperate or comply with commands from law enforcement and was still in the entryway of the residence with a handgun nearby. Officers used a non-lethal 40 mm round from a foam baton and tased Gardas before they were able to arrest him.
A search of the home following Gardas’ arrest led to the recovery of the following firearms:
Palmetto State Armory AK-47
A Russian-made AK-47 Saiga
A Narico Chinese-made AK-47
A Palmetto AR-15
An Aero Precision AR-15
A Remington 870 Express Magnum shotgun
A 9mm handgun
A Glock Model 17 9mm handgun
A Smith & Wesson 22 caliber revolver
A 223 Palmetto AR-15 rifle (recovered from kitchen island)
A 556 M-4 carbine rifle (recovered from upstairs bedroom)
A Sig Sauer 9mm handgun (recovered next to Gardas when apprehended, loaded with a round in the chamber)
More than 12,400 rounds of various caliber ammunition
Three components for AR-15 style firearms
Eight Ballistic Kevlar panels, an outer vest and a ballistic helmet.
Palmetto State Armory AK-47
A Russian-made AK-47 Saiga
A Narico Chinese-made AK-47
A Palmetto AR-15
An Aero Precision AR-15
A Remington 870 Express Magnum shotgun
A 9mm handgun
A Glock Model 17 9mm handgun
A Smith & Wesson 22 caliber revolver
A 223 Palmetto AR-15 rifle (recovered from kitchen island)
A 556 M-4 carbine rifle (recovered from upstairs bedroom)
A Sig Sauer 9mm handgun (recovered next to Gardas when apprehended, loaded with a round in the chamber)
More than 12,400 rounds of various caliber ammunition
Three components for AR-15 style firearms
Eight Ballistic Kevlar panels, an outer vest and a ballistic helmet.
During a search of the residence, law enforcement located 324 grams of marijuana in plant form, 26.2 grams of marijuana wax and 72.6 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, all of which were possessed by Gardas, court documents said.
Gardas was convicted of controlled substance crime in the 3rd-degree, a crime of violence, from 2004 making him ineligible to possess a firearm or ammunition.
Gardas made his first court appearance Monday morning, when a judge set his bail at $10 million without conditions or $5 million with conditions.
