VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Update, Aug. 16, 2021:
The Commonwealth's Attorney for Virginia Beach said Bryan Cage, 50, was formally charged on Aug. 16 to life plus 1,248 years in prison for shooting a police officer and collecting child pornography.
Colin Stolle said Circuit Court Judge James Lewis imposed the sentence recommended by a jury following Cage's conviction. He was found guilty of a slew of serious charges back in May.
Original story, May 4, 2021:
A circuit court jury found a 50-year-old Virginia Beach man guilty of a slew of serious charges Tuesday, including shooting a Virginia Beach Police Department detective and collecting child pornography.
Bryan Carl Cage won't be officially sentenced until August, but the jury recommended he serve a life sentence plus 1,248 years and 30 days.
The charges date back to June 2017. A release from the Virginia Beach Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney said police had traced 15,000 pieces of child pornography (both photos and videos) to the detached above-garage apartment Cage was living in.
The evidence spanned 10 years and 12 devices, according to Colin Stolle, the city's Commonwealth's Attorney.
Stolle said police served a search warrant at the apartment at 6:30 a.m. one June morning, calling "Police! Search warrant!"
Cage's parents came out of the main house, but the suspect wouldn't come out of the above-garage apartment. Stolle said when police forced the door, Cage shot a detective in the shoulder twice, starting a five-hour standoff.
Police did shoot back at Cage. He eventually surrendered.
"The officer Cage shot has permanent damage to his shoulder and cannot engage in normal physical activities such as holding his infant on his right side," Stolle wrote. He said the officer had to medically retire from the police department.
Stolle said Cage had more than one gun in the apartment and was apparently growing five and a half pounds of marijuana in the kitchen.
He was found guilty on these charges:
- Attempted Capital Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer
- Aggravated Malicious Wounding, Use of a Firearm (2 counts)
- Discharging a Firearm in an Occupied Dwelling-Maliciously (39 counts),
- Possession of Child Pornography
- Possession of Child Pornography – Subsequent Offense (99 counts), and
- Possession of Marijuana
In a statement, Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate praised the jury's recommendation, saying they "sent the message that attacks on law enforcement in Virginia Beach will not be tolerated."
