An El Mirage man has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for crimes against law enforcement and others that occurred over five months in 2021, the Arizona Department of Public Safety announced Monday.

The sentencing came after Saul Ballardo pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to a DPS release.

Between July 27 and Dec. 30, 2021, “Ballardo carried out multiple shootings targeting uniformed law enforcement officers” from the Surprise and El Mirage police departments, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Enforcement and Compliance Division and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the released stated.

The incidents occurred within El Mirage, Youngtown, Surprise and unincorporated areas of Maricopa County.

Detectives determined Ballardo was involved in 14 separate shootings, DPS officials said.

“Although no victims were struck by gunfire, Ballardo victimized 48 different law enforcement personnel across these 14 shootings, as well as three AZDPS Ranger helicopter crew members when he attempted to ram a drone into the helicopter during a mission,” the release stated.

“Ballardo’s reckless actions put the public in the area of each of those shootings at risk and incited a sense of fear in those communities.”