Bend man accused of opening fire on busy roadway charged with federal gun laws; some state charges remain

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Bend man who allegedly shot another man on a busy northeast Bend road last month has been charged with federal weapons possession, a prosecutor said Friday after a Deschutes County judge agreed to dismiss three similar local charges.

Aaron Polit, 41, still faces three charges in Deschutes County, one of attempted first-degree assault and two of unlawful use of a weapon. The charges date from August 28.^th Incident.

Police say he parked on NE Emerson Avenue, got out of his Jeep with a handgun in his hand, shouted to a man nearby and fired at least one shot. They said a passerby with a permit to carry a concealed weapon pulled out his gun and confronted Polit, who dropped his weapon.

Officers found a 9mm pistol on the street, and a search of the Jeep turned up a body armor vest, a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition, according to police. He was initially charged with attempted second-degree murder when he was arrested, but the grand jury's subsequent indictment added attempted first-degree assault as the most serious charge.

Polit was scheduled to enter a guilty plea to the state's charges on Friday, but a representative for Polit's public defender, Angela Lee-Mandlin, said she was unavailable and requested a 30-day delay to review a large amount of evidence in the case. Instead, Miller postponed the hearing until next Friday.

Assistant District Attorney Andrew Doyle, who is also prosecuting federal cases, said a federal grand jury indicted Polit on Thursday under the federal firearm possession law, and Judge Miller then granted Doyle's motion to dismiss the three similar local charges related to the 9mm pistol, shotgun and body armor.

When asked by NewsChannel 21 if the federal charges could result in a longer prison sentence, Doyle said that depends on a number of factors. He also said, “We will continue to litigate both cases,” which could result in one or separate trials or possible sentences.

The prosecutor said he expects Polit's initial appearance in federal court in Eugene and arraignment on federal charges to take place in October or November.

After the judge granted the motion to dismiss three of the six local charges, Polit, who was connected via video from prison, asked, “Does that mean the whole case is now a federal case?” The judge explained that the state had only dismissed some of the charges in state court.