ST MICHAEL, Minn. — The St. Michael man shot by authorities following a day-long standoff is now facing multiple felonies in Wright County, including attempted murder, assault and drug charges.
The standoff, which court documents say started around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, began after 39-year-old Brandon Gardas refused to leave his home on the 500 block of Central Avenue West in St. Michael. Officers were attempting to arrest Gardas on several outstanding warrants where he was charged with possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent crime.
The Wright County Emergency Response Team, SWAT and other officials surrounded the Gardas property throughout the standoff. They used audible commands and warnings and chemical agents to try to get Gardas to exit the home, and eventually began "tactically dismantling the residence by removing exterior windows and potions of the home," according to a criminal complaint.
Throughout the standoff, Gardas repeatedly fired at officers from inside the home using what officials believed was a semi-automatic firearm, the documents said.
Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Gardas' 13-year-old son exited the home. The criminal complaint said that his wife and other children were not inside the house at the time.
The standoff ended around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22 after officers with the Wright County Sheriff's Office, St. Cloud Police Department and Stearns County Sheriff's Office entered the home. According to a criminal complaint, Gardas shot at officers while inside the home, prompting police to return fire. Gardas was shot in the upper chest but refused to surrender or comply until officers used a non-lethal 40 mm foam baton round and taser to arrest him, the documents said.
According to the complaint, Gardas is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, two counts of first-degree assault using deadly force, possession of a firearm after being convicted of a crime, second-degree drug possession, fifth-degree drug possession and making violent threats.
Inside the house, officials recovered an arsenal of weapons, including three AK-47s, three AR-15s, multiple handguns, more than 12,400 rounds of various caliber ammunition and ballistic gear, the complaint said. Officers also found more than 320 grams of plant cannabis, 26.2 grams of cannabis wax and more than 70 grams of psilocybin mushrooms.
Gardas, who's being held at the Wright County Jail in Buffalo, Minnesota, had a bail hearing Monday morning. A judge issued $5 million bail or bond with conditions, including no use/possession of firearms or weapons. The judge issued $10 million bail or bond with no conditions. The county has not specified the date of his next court appearance.
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