MESA, Ariz. — A Valley woman has been arrested and charged in connection with an apparent road rage shooting in Mesa, according to court documents.
The documents say a victim called Mesa police just after 10 p.m. on Aug. 7 to report that another driver shot at them in an apparent road rage incident.
The driver told police they were driving west on McKellips Road in Mesa when they went to merge as the road narrowed from three lanes to two just past Recker Road.
When the driver stopped at a red light at the intersection of McKellips and Higley roads, they said a black SUV pulled up next to them and the driver rolled down their window.
The victim told officers that a Hispanic woman began yelling at them. The victim then yelled back, leading to an argument between the drivers, according to the court documents.
During the argument, the victim told the other driver that their spouse and 2-year-old child were in the car with them and the other driver said her child was in the car with her, as well.
After the light turned green, both vehicles began driving west on McKellips Road, and the victim's spouse saw the other driver pull out a handgun and fire a shot at them, the documents say.
The victim then sped away from the area, drove to a family member's home and called police.
The victim's car was not hit by the bullet and no one in the car was shot.
The victim's car also caught the entire incident on camera, as it has cameras inside and outside of the car. The victim gave that footage to police, which helped them identify the shooter as 24-year-old Alyssa Soto, according to the court documents.
Police say Soto was driving her grandmother's SUV when the shooting happened and officers saw the SUV at Soto's home in Apache Junction.
Officers were able to find a shell casing on McKellips Road and the bullet that was fired at the Chevron gas station at the intersection of Higley and McKellips roads, according to court documents.
Officers served a search warrant at Soto's home on Aug. 15 and found a 9mm pistol. The bullets in the gun's magazine matched the shell casing found at the scene of the shooting, the documents say.
Officers arrested Soto at 10:25 a.m. on Aug. 16.
The court documents say Soto told officers that the victim cut her off and hit her bumper. She said she was trying to tell the victim that they hit her car and they needed to pull over and talk, but after the argument, she became so upset and frustrated that she pulled out her 9mm pistol and shot at the other car.
Soto told officers she was not trying to hurt anyone in the other car, but that she acted out of frustration and anger.
She said he later drove to her grandmother's home and stayed there for a while before driving home.
Officers asked her why she didn't call the police after she said the other car hit her, but Soto did not have an answer for officers, according to the court documents.
Soto has been charged with aggravated assault, unlawful discharge of a firearm and discharging a firearm at a structure.
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