Felon who allegedly shot at another man on a busy NE Bend street is sentenced on federal gun charge
Barney Lerten
(Update: Adding video)
EUGENE, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Bend man accused of shooting at another man on a busy northeast Bend street over a year ago was sentenced Thursday to nearly seven years in federal prison for being a felon in possession and use of a handgun.
Chief Judge Michael McShane sentenced Aaron Brandon Polit, 45, to 80 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels said in a news release.
On August 28, 2024, Polit was apprehended in possession of a firearm after he fired a handgun on Northeast Second Street in Bend, prosecutors said. An eyewitness with a concealed carry permit detained Polit at gunpoint until Bend Police arrived to take him into custody.
Gunnels said Polit was found to possess a handgun, a shotgun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. He has prior felony criminal convictions for assault, narcotics possession, and child neglect.
As KTVZ News reported after the incident, police said Polit parked on NE Emerson Avenue, got out of his Jeep holding a handgun, called out to a nearby man and fired at least one shot. A bystander with a concealed weapons permit drew his gun and confronted Polit, who dropped his gun.
Responding officers found a 9 mm handgun on the street, and police said a search of the Jeep turned up body armor, a 12-guage shotgun and ammunition.
Polit first was charged in Deschutes County Circuit Court, but the firearm charges were quickly adopted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Eugene. A federal grand jury indicted Polit on Sept. 19, 2024. The case was handled by county deputy district attorneys and assistant u.S. attorneys Andrew Doyle and Matthew Nelson in both jurisdictions.
Doyle filed a motion to dismiss the local indictment Thursday as a result of plea negotiations that led to the federal sentence, court records show.
The two prosecutors said, “This case is yet another example of a ‘value-added’ sentence secured through our successful strategic partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office. We would like to thank the office for their continued support on local cases and making the community safer as a result.”
The district attorney’s office also thanked Bend Police Department criminal detectives and the FBI for “their thorough and detailed investigation.”