Man sentenced to 29 years in prison for firing at Freeport police in 2018 encounter

A judge Tuesday sentenced a Brooklyn man to 29 years in prison after a jury convicted him of gun charges and attempted assault this spring but acquitted him of trying to murder two Freeport police officers during a foot pursuit.

Law enforcement officials had alleged David Serrant, 23, traded gunshots with police during a 2018 encounter.

Authorities said the incident began as police were investigating a report of young people smoking marijuana outside a Pine Street apartment building at about 11 p.m. on Feb. 25, 2018.

Authorities alleged Serrant walked away, hopped a fence and took off after police responded, firing a shot from a .40-caliber semiautomatic gun as officers chased him.

He allegedly fired again at two other officers who came towards him from a different direction, police said after his arrest. 

Another officer fired at Serrant but didn’t hit him, according to law enforcement officials, who said no one was hurt in the shooting.

An officer and his K-9 partner arrested Serrant a short time later and he still had the gun, which was out of bullets, according to authorities.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that by their verdict, jurors found that Serrant fired a gun at one officer. 

Serrant’s attorney, Lori Golombek, made a motion as Tuesday’s court proceeding began for Acting State Supreme Court Justice Robert Bogle to set aside the verdict.

“I submit that the officers were not credible in this case,” the defense lawyer said.

Bogle denied her motion before meting out Serrant’s sentence.

In May, the Nassau County Court jury also found Serrant not guilty of a charge of menacing a police officer and didn’t reach a verdict on another attempted assault count — which Bogle dismissed Tuesday.

Golombek told jurors during opening statements in the trial that the prosecution wouldn’t be able to prove every element of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. She said there would be conflicting testimony and inconsistencies in the officers’ accounts.

The defense attorney also said then that the description of the person who ran from police was one “that could fit hundreds of thousands of people.”

Golombek declined to comment after court Tuesday.

Prosecutor Ania Pulaski told jurors in her opening statement that Serrant “came dangerously close to ending” the lives of two police officers that night after opening fire.

She said Serrant also pointed a gun at another officer but didn’t fire “because he was out of bullets.” That officer fired seven shots at Serrant, but none hit the defendant as he kept running, Pulaski also told jurors.

The prosecutor described the gunfire exchange as lasting 20 seconds and involving nine gunshots.

Freeport Police Chief Michael Smith was among village police personnel who came to court Tuesday.

“I think it’s a win for the residents of Nassau County,” Smith said of Serrant’s sentence in a Newsday interview. “… I think everybody can sleep a little better knowing that he’s off the streets.”

Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement that Serrant could have chosen to obey officers’ orders upon their approach.

“Instead, he took off running and fired his gun directly at an officer during the chase. Fortunately, no one was injured, and Serrant was apprehended within minutes,” she added.

 Donnelly also thanked Bogle “for his decision to hold the defendant accountable for his crimes with this significant prison sentence.”