Rachel C. Hernandez Acting United States Attorney for the District of Arizona | U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona
Carlos Maximilliano Galvan, a 44-year-old resident of Maricopa, Arizona, has been sentenced to 44 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Tohono O’odham Police Officer Bryan Brown. The sentencing was carried out by United States District Judge James A. Soto on June 4, 2025. Galvan had earlier entered a guilty plea to one count of second-degree murder.
The incident occurred on August 27, 2020, at the Desert Diamond Casino in Why, Arizona. Officer Brown responded to a call regarding an individual who had crashed his vehicle into a handicapped parking sign and then assaulted two casino employees with his vehicle. Upon arrival, Officer Brown encountered Galvan, who approached him aggressively with a broken bottle. In an attempt to avoid confrontation, Officer Brown stepped around his police cruiser but was struck by it after Galvan jumped into the cruiser and drove toward him and a United States Border Patrol Agent present at the scene. While the Border Patrol Agent managed to evade the attack, Officer Brown was fatally hit.
Galvan continued his escape by driving across the highway's center lane and deliberately colliding with vehicles of two additional Border Patrol Agents en route to assist law enforcement.
FBI Phoenix Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarod Brown stated: "The FBI will not waiver in our commitment to ensure those who commit acts of violence against members of law enforcement will be held accountable and punished to the fullest extent of the law." He expressed hope that this sentence brings some comfort to Officer Brown's family and colleagues.
United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine remarked: "The defendant attacked not just Officer Brown but our entire system of justice... Our great sorrow goes out to Officer Brown’s family, loved ones, and fellow officers."
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson Office. The case prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frances Kreamer Hope, Alicia Renee Quezada, and Rui Wang from the District of Arizona in Tucson.
