Man shoots female driver because she honked

A grand jury in Arizona has indicted a 20-year-old man accused of shooting a female driver during a road rage incident last month, reportedly because he felt “disrespected” when she cut him off and didn’t apologize.

According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Rudy R. Sanchez Jr. faces several felony charges, including drive-by shooting, discharging a firearm into a structure, and two counts of aggravated assault.

Investigators say the shooting happened on October 11 near Peoria Avenue and Loop 101. Sanchez allegedly fired a gun through the door of a nearby car, hitting the woman in the leg, before fleeing the scene.

Police say the confrontation began moments earlier at a red light. The victim told officers that Sanchez, driving a BMW, didn’t move when the light turned green. She honked, prompting Sanchez to drive slowly. When she switched lanes and passed him, Sanchez pulled alongside her, shouting and demanding to know what she wanted him to do. She told him he had been driving too slow. As she turned her head away, he allegedly opened fire through her car door, striking her in the leg.

The bullet shattered the woman’s femur, requiring surgery to insert a metal rod. Doctors have warned that she could still face the possibility of losing her leg, according to KTVK.

Four days later, on October 15, Peoria SWAT officers and detectives located Sanchez’s BMW at an apartment complex near 47th Street and McDowell Road in Phoenix. Around 5:30 a.m., officers watched Sanchez exit the complex and get into his car. He was taken into custody without incident. A 9mm handgun and a fired shell casing were found inside the vehicle, police said.

While in custody, Sanchez allegedly made unsolicited admissions to detectives. “Do you want to know why I did it?” he reportedly asked one officer, explaining that he acted out of anger because he felt “disrespected” and wanted the woman to apologize for cutting him off.

Sanchez is being held in the Maricopa County Jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond. Court records show his trial is currently scheduled to begin on February 26, 2026.

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