Inset: Rudy Sanchez (Maricopa County Jail). Background: The area in Arizona where Sanchez allegedly shot a female driver in a road rage incident (Google Maps).
A grand jury in Arizona indicted a 20-year-old man accused of shooting a female driver in a road rage incident last month, claiming that he felt "disrespected" when she cut him off and failed to apologize.
Grand jurors returned a true bill formally indicting Rudy R. Sanchez Jr. on a spate of felonies, including one count each of drive by shooting and discharging a firearm into a structure, as well as two counts of aggravated assault, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, on Oct. 11, Sanchez shot the woman in the leg while she was driving "in the car next to him near Peoria Avenue and the Loop 101." Following the alleged shooting, authorities said, Sanchez continued driving, fleeing the scene.
The victim told police that she was behind Sanchez's BMW at a red light on Peoria Avenue, according to Phoenix CBS affiliate KTVK. When the light turned green, she said Sanchez did not accelerate, so she honked her horn at him. Sanchez reportedly began to drive slowly, so the victim switched lanes and pulled ahead of him.
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Sanchez then pulled next to the victim on the driver's side of her car and reportedly began yelling curses at her before asking, "What do you want me to do?" The victim responded by telling Sanchez, "You were going too slow." She then looked away from Sanchez, which is when he allegedly shot through her car door and into her left leg before speeding away.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 15, Peoria SWAT and members of the department's Criminal Investigation Division located Sanchez's vehicle at an apartment complex near 47th Street and McDowell Road in Phoenix. At about 5:34 a.m., the SWAT team observed Sanchez exiting the apartment complex and getting into his car, which is when he was taken into custody without incident, according to the arrest report.
Police said Sanchez was in possession of a 9 mm handgun and a fired cartridge casing was allegedly recovered from inside his BMW.
Following his arrest, Sanchez allegedly made several incriminating statements.
"While waiting for a transport unit, Rudy Sanchez made an unsolicited admission to [a detective]," the police report states. "Rudy Sanchez stated to [the detective], 'Do you want to know why I did it?' He then went on to tell [the detective] that he did it because he felt disrespected and he was mad. He said that he wanted the female driver to apologize to him for cutting him off and she didn't, so he shot her."
KTVK reported that the gunshot "severely shattered" the victim's femur, which was surgically repaired with a metal rod. However, medical experts reportedly said the victim could still "potentially lose her left leg."
Sanchez is currently being held in the Maricopa County Jail in lieu of $250,000 cash-only bond, records show. He is currently scheduled to go to trial on Feb. 26, 2026.