BURLINGTON — A federal grand jury has indicted a Rhode Island man on charges of assaulting U.S. Border Patrol agents with a machine gun in Vermont last summer.
Brenden Sackal, 32, of Rockville, Rhode Island, was charged Thursday in a superseding indictment with assaulting federal officers with a deadly weapon, possessing and discharging a machine gun in furtherance of the assault, and weapons violations under the National Firearms Act.
The charges stem from a July 14, 2024, incident in which Sackal allegedly fired a privately manufactured 5.56 caliber AR-type pistol at five Border Patrol agents. Federal prosecutors say the weapon functioned as a machine gun but was not registered and lacked a required serial number under federal law.
Sackal faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and up to life imprisonment if convicted on all counts. His federal arraignment date has not been set.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher said the case demonstrates the government’s commitment to prosecuting attacks on federal law enforcement.
“Anyone who discharges a firearm at a federal law enforcement officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Drescher said in a statement. He praised the response by Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, Vermont State Police and Orleans County Sheriff’s Department personnel who pursued and arrested Sackal on the day of the shooting.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Vermont State Police.
Sackal also faces related charges in Caledonia Superior Court.
