PHOENIX — Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that Alyssa Soto (DOB: 10/1999) has been sentenced to five years in the Arizona Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to one count of drive-by shooting, a Class Two felony.
In August 2024, Soto was driving a GMC when she pulled up next to a vehicle carrying a man, his wife, and their infant daughter near North Higley Road and East McKellips. Soto began yelling and cursing at the family. When the man responded with a hand gesture, Soto retrieved a handgun and fired a shot at their car as they drove away.
The family’s Tesla was equipped with cameras that recorded the incident and helped verify what happened. While the vehicle itself wasn’t damaged, a spent 9mm casing was recovered from the roadway.
Investigators used traffic camera footage to identify the suspect vehicle and connect it to Soto. She was arrested nine days later at a residence in Mesa. During the arrest, officers recovered a 9mm handgun from her boyfriend’s truck. Soto later admitted to the shooting and confirmed she was the person seen in the Tesla footage.
“Firing a gun at a family because you are angry is not a mistake — it’s a dangerous, criminal choice,” said County Attorney 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.”
