It started as a minor traffic dispute — but ended in gunfire.
On a quiet Sunday afternoon in suburban Phoenix, Arizona, 68-year-old Robert Hayes was driving home from the grocery store when a black pickup truck began tailgating him. Dashcam footage later revealed that the driver of the truck, 29-year-old Daniel Ortiz, was weaving aggressively through lanes, honking, and flashing his lights.
When Robert stopped at a red light, Ortiz pulled up beside him, shouting obscenities and demanding that the elderly man “learn how to drive.” Witnesses say Robert tried to de-escalate, rolling up his window and looking straight ahead.
But Ortiz didn’t back down.
When the light turned green, both vehicles moved forward — and that’s when Ortiz pulled out a handgun and fired three shots into Robert’s car.
Miraculously, none of the bullets struck the victim directly, though one shattered the driver-side window, grazing his arm. Terrified, Robert pulled into a nearby parking lot and called 911.
Within minutes, police were on the scene, issuing a regional alert for a black pickup with visible front-end damage and a partial plate number.
Later that night, Ortiz was tracked down outside his home, where officers found the same gun used in the shooting inside his truck. He was arrested without incident — though bodycam footage shows him insisting,
“It wasn’t that serious! He cut me off!”
Prosecutors disagreed.
Daniel Ortiz now faces multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, aggravated assault, and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.
Robert, shaken but alive, later told reporters,
“I’ve lived a long life. Never thought I’d see someone try to kill me over a stoplight.”
The case serves as a chilling reminder — one moment of rage can change lives forever.