Rhode Island man shot by Vermont troopers during chase pleads not guilty to attempted murder

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — A Rhode Island man who was shot and injured during a confrontation with Vermont State Police troopers in Burke last month has pleaded not guilty to numerous charges, including three counts of attempted murder.

Brenden Sackal, 30, of Hopkinton, Rhode Island, shot at troopers during his arrest following a vehicle chase on July 14, state police said. The troopers then shot Sackal, who was treated at a hospital.

He pleaded not guilty Thursday to 17 charges, including attempted aggravated murder and attempting to elude law enforcement. He’s also facing federal charges of possessing an unregistered machine gun and possessing a machine gun lacking an identification number.

Robert Kaplan, Sackal’s lawyer, said Friday that he had just received the case, the affidavit supplied is “pretty thin,” there are a lot of charges and he has a lot to learn to really understand what happened.

Rhode Island police had notified law enforcement in northern New Hampshire and Vermont that Sackal was believed to be traveling in the area and that there was an arrest warrant out for him on charges related to possessing illegal high-capacity firearm magazines, police said.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent noticed Sackal’s pickup truck in the Pittsburg, New Hampshire, area and pulled him over, but after stopping briefly, Sackal drove away and agents followed him into Canaan, Vermont, authorities said. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, which was concerned that he might try to cross into Canada, used a tire deflation device on his truck, police said. Sackal then headed south driving on flat tires, followed by agents and a sheriff’s deputy, state police said.

Vermont State Police troopers started following him in Morgan, Vermont, with their sirens and lights activated. Sackal collided with two state police cruisers and lost control, and his truck stopped on the shoulder of the road in Burke, state police said. During the arrest, he fired a weapon at troopers, and two troopers shot back and injured him, police said. The troopers took him into custody and performed first aid before rescue crews arrived, police said.

The troopers were not hurt. They were placed on paid relief-from-duty status, which is standard protocol, police said. The Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit is investigating the shooting. When it completes the case, it will be given to the offices of the Vermont attorney general and the county prosecutor to review the use of force, officials said.