Clayton, N.C. — A Clayton man received a 27-year prison sentence Friday based on testimony that he tried to shoot a police officer during a scuffle two years ago.

Daniel Charles Lewis pleaded guilty to one federal count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay an $8,000 fine.

A police officer testified that Lewis tried to shoot him, and U.S. District Judge Louis Flanagan deemed Lewis to be an armed career offender, according to U.S. Attorney George Holding. That ruling increased his sentence.

Prosecutors said that Lewis jumped from a car halted during a traffic stop on July 2, 2009.

As he struggled with an officer who chased him, prosecutors said, Lewis pulled out a .380-caliber pistol and pointed it at the officer. He tried to pull the trigger, but the officer maneuvered the weapon so it couldn't fire, then wrested it away from Lewis.

He was captured by other officers who came as backup.

Lewis' criminal history dates to 2002 and includes multiple convictions for felony breaking and entering and larceny, according to state Department of Correction records. He served two separate three- and five-month jail sentences for various probation violations.