Criminal Complaint Details How Dangerous Armed St. Michael Standoff was for Police

(KNSI) — Criminal charges leveled against a St. Michael man lay out just how dangerous the situation was for law enforcement.

According to the criminal complaint, on June 20th, 39-year-old Brandon Gardas called his pastor and asked him to come over. He then got into an altercation, pulled out a gun, and waved it in his pastor’s face. The pastor said he left the house and drove to church, where his wife had already called 911. While the pastor was with the police, Gardas allegedly called and admitted he had a gun. Police say due to previous felony convictions, he is not allowed to have a gun.

The criminal complaint says Gardas had two warrants for his arrest for separate charges. Officers also learned he allegedly assaulted his wife, so on Tuesday, June 21st, they developed a plan to arrest him. Officers with the Wright County Sheriff’s Office contacted the St. Cloud SWAT team to help get Gardas into custody.

At 4:30 that afternoon, police say they learned Gardas’s 13-year-old son was in the house, but his wife and other children had already left. The criminal complaint says officers gave commands for Gardas to come out with no response. Before 6:00, they used a special tool to breach the front door and use chemical irritants. A few minutes later, the teenager came out of the house and was brought to safety by police.

Just under an hour later, Gardas allegedly called Wright County dispatch and told them that if officers didn’t back up, he was going to start shooting and a few minutes later, made good on that promise, opening fire on an occupied St. Cloud SWAT vehicle, hitting it several times. A Wright County sheriff’s deputy narrowly missed being shot in the head. The criminal complaint says he was in the armored vehicle and was positioned in the turret when “he heard a ting and saw a flash on the side of the turret a few inches from his head consistent with a bullet hitting the metal. Later and at a safe location, members inspected the armored vehicle and saw a bullet hole through the loudspeaker and a bullet hole in the armor of the turret.”

Police connected with Gardas via the telephone just after 8:00 p.m., where he again threatened police, allegedly saying he would fire “90 rounds of ammunition into the nearby neighborhood.” Around an hour and a half later, police say Gardas fired 12 rounds at the armored vehicle.

The criminal complaint says Tuesday night, the SWAT team began tactically dismantling the house by removing exterior windows and parts of the home to get a better sight line inside to help them find Gardas. Chemical agents were also deployed, and utilities to the house were cut off. At one point, police say they saw Gardas in the home with both a high-powered rifle and an assault rifle.

Around 7:00 on Wednesday evening, police decided to go in and arrest Gardas. Members of the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, St. Cloud Police Department, and Stearns County Sheriff’s Office went into the house and said they found Gardas in a room with a rifle under some blankets. Police say they used a non-lethal .40 mm foam baton round before Gardas ran to another area of the home holding an assault rifle. The criminal complaint says Gardas was found at the top of the stairs holding a gun. After several commands to put his hands up and surrender, police say he opened fire at St. Cloud Police Department SWAT team members and was hit in the upper chest by an officer who returned fire.

Even after being shot, police say Gardas refused to cooperate or comply with commands. He was hit with a .40 mm round from a foam baton and was also tased before he was able to be arrested.

A search of the home turned up three AK-47s, three AR-15s, a Remington shotgun, three .9 mm handguns, a .22 caliber revolver, an M-4 carbine rifle, 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. Police also seized 324 grams of marijuana in plant form, 26.2 grams of marijuana wax, and 72.6 grams of psilocybin mushrooms.

Gardas has been charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder of a police officer, two counts of first-degree assault of a police officer, felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of drug possession, and felony threats of violence for the standoff. He was also charged with second-degree assault and felon in possession for brandishing a weapon at his pastor.

He is being held on $10 million unconditional bail or $5 million with conditions.

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