A tragic incident unfolded on a Texas roadway, leaving a young girl in a critical condition after a road rage confrontation turned violent. The 10-year-old, Alisa Gates from San Antonio, was shot in the stomach while seated in the back of her parents’ vehicle as they headed to school.
The altercation began when Alisa’s mother honked at another driver to avert a potential crash near Wurzbach Road and Timberhill Drive. This seemingly routine gesture led to an aggressive response, culminating in gunfire, as reported by Fox San Antonio.
In the immediate aftermath, Alisa was rushed to a hospital where she underwent emergency surgery. Her father later shared with KSAT News that, against the odds, she is now progressing remarkably well, describing her condition as “doing really great.”
Authorities acted swiftly in response to the incident, apprehending 41-year-old Bryan Arceo just hours later. According to an arrest affidavit accessed by KSAT, Arceo is accused of firing the shot that pierced the Gates’ minivan. Shockingly, his own daughter and ex-wife were reportedly present in his car during the shooting.
Arceo now faces serious legal repercussions. He has been booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, charged with three counts of aggravated assault—a first-degree felony—for his reckless actions, as well as a charge of child endangerment.
He was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center and charged with three counts of aggravated assault for recklessly discharging a firearm – a first-degree felony – and one count of child endangerment.
Around 7.30am Friday, as Jason Gates and his wife drove Alisa to school, a gray Nissan Murano suddenly backed out of a private driveway in the 4300 block of Timberhill Drive, the affidavit states.
Jason told the outlet that his wife honked at the driver for ‘no more than three seconds’ to avoid a collision.
Alisa Gates (pictured), 10, of San Antonio, Texas, was shot in the stomach while riding in the backseat of her parents’ minivan during a road rage incident on her way to school Friday morning
Alisa sustained a ‘life-threatening gunshot wound’ to her torso after her mother honked at an aggressive driver to avoid a collision near Wurzbach Road and Timberhill Drive
Police tracked down 41-year-old Bryan Arceo (pictured) and took him into custody in connection with the shooting
Arceo, who was allegedly behind the wheel of the Nissan, then brake-checked the Gates’ family car before pulling up alongside it at a red light, according to court documents.
The girl’s mother reported that the driver allegedly brandished a handgun while both cars were stopped, after which she heard a loud ‘pop’ and turned right, speeding away from the scene.
‘My wife looks at my daughter and says, ‘Hey, did you get shot?’ My daughter says, ‘No,” Jason told KSAT.
He said he noticed a faint smell of gunpowder and, after slightly opening the car door, saw a hole pierced through the minivan’s back door right where his daughter was seated.
The family quickly discovered that Alisa had been shot in the upper body, according to the affidavit.
According to court documents, Arceo’s ex-wife, who was in the vehicle with him at the time, told investigators that she saw him point a handgun at the family’s van and rack the slide.
‘She looked away and heard a pop,’ the affidavit states, referring to the ex-wife.
She also allegedly told authorities that Arceo carries both a silver and a black handgun.
The girl’s mother reported that the driver allegedly brandished a handgun while both cars were stopped at a red light, after which she heard a loud ‘pop’ (pictured: Gates family)
Jason said he noticed a faint smell of gunpowder and, after slightly opening the car door, saw a hole pierced through the minivan’s back door right where his daughter was seated
Arceo’s ex-wife allegedly told authorities that he carries both a silver and a black handgun
Jason told KSAT they had initially been trying to drive Alisa to the hospital on their own, and during that drive, they briefly came across the Nissan a second time.
The affidavit alleges that Arceo made an illegal turn to get behind the Gates’ car and followed the family for several blocks before stopping his vehicle and getting out while holding a firearm.
Jason said that during the second encounter, they were able to record the license plate number and get a description of the driver for authorities.
They then managed to drive around Arceo’s car and escape the area, according to the court records.
Both the mother and father, however, told investigators they believed Arceo was alone in the front seat at the time.
Once they drove away, Jason said he kept telling his wife they needed to pull over. The family then turned into a parking lot at Bandera and Callaghan roads and called for help.
EMS rushed Alisa to the hospital in critical condition. Meanwhile, Arceo dropped his ex-wife off at her workplace, and surveillance footage also captured him dropping his child off at a nearby school, the affidavit states.
Police found a live 9mm round at the scene of the shooting, and Arceo was taken into custody that same afternoon.
Jason (pictured with Alisa) told KSAT they had initially been trying to drive Alisa to the hospital on their own before calling for help. During that drive, they briefly came across the Nissan a second time
Police found a live 9mm round at the scene of the shooting, and Arceo was taken into custody that same afternoon
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KSAT, Arceo (pictured) allegedly fired a shot through the Gates’ minivan while his ex-wife and child were inside the vehicle with him
Alisa is ‘doing great’ after her surgery, according to her father. The family now wants to see the back of their minivan, with Jason saying he’d like to see the vehicle – and the bad memories now attached to it – ‘disappear.’
‘I told my wife, I said, ‘What are we going to do with a bullet hole in the side of the car?” Jason told the outlet. ‘She goes, “I don’t want the car anymore.”‘
Arceo was charged with three first-degree felonies and one state jail felony, with bail set at $375,000.
