A woman has been sentenced to half a decade in jail after firing a gun at a family during a road rage case in Mesa over a year ago.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Alyssa Soto, 25, was sentenced to five years in the Arizona Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to one count of drive-by shooting.
In August 2024, the victim reported driving with his wife and baby daughter along Higley Road and McKellips Drive in Mesa when Soto allegedly pulled up next to their vehicle and began yelling and swearing at the family.
Arizona’s Family received a video that purported to show Soto in a black SUV. She rolls down her window and yells while at a red light.
Following an altercation, the light turns green, and both begin to drive away. Soto pulls out a gun and fires one round at the victim’s automobile. Nobody was wounded.
Soto was eventually recognized as the shooter and was arrested nine days later. During the arrest, officers found a weapon in her boyfriend’s truck. Soto apparently acknowledged the shooting.
According to court records, she claimed she was “not trying to hurt anyone but was so angry and frustrated that she decided to shoot her handgun at the other vehicle.”
Arizona’s Family discovered documents indicating that Soto had previously received driving tickets, but none looked to be aggressive until this occurrence.
“Firing a gun at a family because you are angry is not a mistake – it’s a dangerous, criminal choice,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “There is no place for this kind of treacherous behavior in our community. If you choose violence in Maricopa County, you will face serious consequences.”
