Man who shot at Portsmouth officers, disabled cameras sentenced to 8 years in prison

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A man who fired at Portsmouth police officers and shot out crowd monitoring cameras in downtown Portsmouth in 2024 has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Anthony David Vega pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder, maliciously shooting at an occupied law enforcement vehicle, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and destruction of property — felony.

Portsmouth

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The charges stem from an incident on Nov. 11, 2024, around 2 a.m., when Vega was firing gunshots at crowd monitoring cameras, disabling them. As a responding officer turned onto Queen Street from Washington Street, he heard gunshots coming from the parking lot of the United Methodist Church, located in the 500 block of Queen Street. The officer observed Vega in the parking lot as shots were being fired.

Vega then fled the scene, leading to a brief foot chase. He was taken into custody at North Street and Washington Street.

Officers recovered an assault rifle with two magazines tied together and a shotgun with five shotgun shells inside the magazine tube. The officer's marked vehicle sustained a bullet hole through the roof above the windshield, and another round struck the left front tire rim. Several buildings were also struck by gunfire, including a church and two homes.

For attempted first-degree murder, Vega was sentenced to 10 years with six years suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation. For maliciously shooting at an occupied law enforcement vehicle, he was sentenced to 10 years with nine years suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation. For use of a firearm in commission of a felony, he was sentenced to three years. For destruction of property, he was sentenced to five years with five years suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation. All sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an active term of 8 years of incarceration.

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