Man sentenced to over 12 years for attempted murder in 2-day St. Michael standoff

A man who was arrested following a nearly two-day standoff was sentenced to over 12 years (153 months) in prison.

Forty-one-year-old Brandon Lee Gardas was convicted of one count of attempted second-degree murder and one count of illegal firearm possession. One count of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree drug possession, one count of violent threats and one count of fifth-degree drug possession were dismissed.

Gardas was given 883 days, or over two years, of credit for time already served for the attempted murder charge. He will also serve a five-year prison sentence for the firearm charge at the same time as the attempted murder charge.

As previously reported, in June of 2022, Gardas was arrested after a nearly two-day standoff in St. Michael.

At one point, court documents state Gardas started shooting at law enforcement and hit a Humvee and another armored SWAT vehicle. Read more about the standoff here.