Parolee Who Shot Police Officer While Resisting Arrest Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Andrial Ortiz, 30, from Lansing, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

U.S. Attorney VerHey said, “Andrial Ortiz was a felon who was not allowed to possess a gun, and the moment he did he used it to shoot a police officer.  My office was happy to prosecute this case. We accept the 15-year sentence as a just response.  I hope everyone reading this will take a minute to remember and appreciate that we ask law enforcement officers to risk their lives on a regular basis.”

Police pulled Ortiz over while investigating a road rage incident.  Ortiz was on parole for selling drugs, unarmed robbery, and larceny.  Police searched his car and found drugs.  When they attempted to arrest Ortiz, he violently resisted.  During the struggle, he was able to remove guns from two of the officers’ waistbands. He fired one of the guns, striking a patrol officer in the leg.

“Ortiz’s conduct was reckless, violent, and showed a complete disregard for the lives of the officers involved,” said ATF Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “As a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing firearms, yet this defendant violently resisted arrest, disarmed officers, and fired a weapon, seriously injuring a patrol officer. This sentence reflects the seriousness of that violence and sends the right message to drug trafficking convicted felons in our community who attack law enforcement: if you do this, pack your bags because you’re going to prison for an extended period of time.”

The Michigan State Police, Lansing Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olivia Ghiselli and Jonathan Roth prosecuted it.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.