Angry driving shooting in Mesa leads to arrest

MESA, AZ – A road rage incident in early August shocked a family after the suspect pulled out a gun and fired, according to police.

It all happened in a flash. A video provided to ABC15 by the victim, who wished to remain anonymous, showed the moment when 24-year-old Alyssa Soto opened fire on the vehicle next to her, according to Mesa police.

“I don’t know what drives people to this point,” said Priscilla Beltran, a Mesa resident, in response to the incident.

On August 7 at around 8 p.m., according to police reports, the victim, his spouse and their two-year-old child were driving westbound on McKellips Road when they changed lanes from three to two. Shortly afterward, a black SUV with its windows down can be seen on video pulling up next to them.

According to the police report, there was some arguing and shouting, and then the situation became even more heated.

When the light turned green, the driver of the SUV could be seen holding something in his hand, which then flashed once and left a cloud of smoke. Police said it was a handgun. After the shot was fired, the bullet landed in the parking lot of a Chevron gas station, where police seized it as evidence.

“You can just drive down the road not knowing you're cutting someone off, and suddenly someone speeds past you and cuts you off. It's actually happened to me,” Beltran said.

Police say the bullet did not strike the victim's vehicle and no one was injured. The victim's footage was enough to lead police to Soto, who was driving her grandmother's SUV that night.

In a statement to ABC15, the victim said: “This has been an extremely horrific time for our family and I really want to prevent this from happening to anyone else.”

Soto was arrested on Friday and is charged with three felony counts, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

According to the police report, Soto told investigators that she was cut off from the scene or hit by the victim's vehicle before the shooting. She became angry but did not mean to hurt anyone.

The police investigation is still ongoing.