Inset: Bryan Arceo (San Antonio Police Department). Background: The bullet hole that Bryan Arceo allegedly put in a family’s minivan when he shot a 10-year-old girl in San Antonio, Texas, who was on her way to school (KSAT/YouTube).
In Texas, a 10-year-old girl heading to school with her parents faced a horrifying incident when a driver enraged by a honk fired shots, according to police reports. The girl, who sustained critical injuries, required surgery as confirmed by both law enforcement and her family.
Authorities allege that 41-year-old Bryan Arceo discharged a 9 mm handgun at the family’s minivan after pulling up beside them at a San Antonio intersection on a Friday morning. The confrontation reportedly began when the girl’s mother honked at Arceo for aggressively reversing his vehicle from a driveway, an affidavit accessed by local ABC station KSAT reveals.
At the time of the incident, Arceo’s ex-wife and his daughter were also present in his car, with the family en route to their own school drop-off, police stated.
The San Antonio Police Department shared in a Facebook announcement that Arceo’s aggressive exit from a driveway led to a honk from another driver. In retaliation, Arceo allegedly fired at the family’s vehicle, hitting the young girl seated in the back.
Following the shooting, Arceo fled the scene but was later apprehended by authorities, as stated by the SAPD.
The young victim was immediately taken to a local hospital, where she underwent surgery for her severe injuries. Her father, Jason Gates, shared details of the terrifying event and its aftermath in an interview with KSAT.
“My wife was on her horn, but she was on her horn no more than three seconds,” Gates explained.
Arceo’s ex-wife spoke to police and said “she looked away and heard a pop” after he pointed his 9 mm at the family’s van, according to the affidavit. She allegedly told cops he also racked the slide before firing.
“My wife looks at my daughter and says, ‘Hey, did you get shot?’” Gates recounted. “My daughter says, ‘No,’ then I opened the door a little bit.”
Gates said he and his wife noticed that their daughter had been shot and they quickly notified authorities. “I kept telling my wife, ‘Babe, you need to pull over,’” Gates recalled.
Arceo, meanwhile, kept driving and dropped his ex-wife off at her workplace and then took his child to a nearby school, according to police. He was booked at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center after being taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault for recklessly discharging a firearm and child endangerment.
“I told my wife, I said, ‘What are we going to do with a bullet hole in the side of the car?’” Gates said. “She goes, ‘I don’t want the car anymore.’”
The couple’s daughter is expected to survive after undergoing surgery.
“She’s doing great,” Gates told KSAT.
Arceo is scheduled to appear in court on April 30 after being granted a $375,000 bond.
