A Suffolk County man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison following a violent police chase in April 2024 that spanned multiple towns and included shooting at law enforcement officers.

Brandon Scanlon received the two-decade sentence for the attempted murder of police officers after a chaotic chain of events that began when officers attempted to execute a search warrant. According to authorities, Scanlon struck an officer twice with his minivan before leading police on a high-speed pursuit from Bohemia to Bay Shore.

Suffolk PBA President Louis Civello condemned the act.

“This was a brazen attempt to murder a Suffolk County police officer!” Civello wrote. “If you're shooting at a police officer, your intent is to kill them!”

During the chase, Scanlon allegedly fired multiple rounds from a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol at officers while in possession of cocaine and fentanyl. The pursuit came to an end when Scanlon crashed on the North Service Road of Sunrise Highway, just east of the Robert Moses Causeway.

A witness described the dramatic scene.

“All of a sudden, this grey van comes maybe doing 100, 110 miles an hour, passing us, and then about 20 cop cars following him,” the witness said.

Despite the violent nature of the incident, Scanlon’s defense attorney Ian Fitzgerald said, “Mr. Scanlon never intended to hurt anybody, much less the officers. Clearly, it was a reckless act that he did, and he took responsibility for it.”

The judge overseeing the case called Scanlon’s actions “unthinkable, reckless, and dangerous.” Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney echoed that sentiment, saying, “This is part of a theme that we are seeing of lawlessness, disregard of the safety of others and disrespect of our police officers.”