A Mesa man who was shot by police after allegedly trying to kidnap a woman at knifepoint and sparking a chaotic pursuit on U.S. 60 was sentenced Thursday to seven and a half years in prison. Joseph Ortiz, 38, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and kidnapping in a case that began with a domestic dispute on Aug. 10, 2025 and ended with officers opening fire on the freeway. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised probation once released and was credited with 287 days already served.
How the chase unfolded
Mesa police say officers were called to an apartment complex near Country Club Drive that afternoon after reports of a man armed with a knife. Investigators allege Ortiz kicked in a door, grabbed a kitchen knife and tried to force a woman into a pickup truck during the domestic incident.
When officers later spotted his vehicle, they say Ortiz took off onto westbound U.S. 60. A PIT maneuver brought the car to a stop at the Alma School Road on-ramp, where Ortiz abandoned the vehicle and ran into active traffic. Officers tried to subdue him with a stun gun before one officer fired. Ortiz was hospitalized and later taken into custody, as reported by ABC15.
Guilty plea and sentence
Court records show Ortiz pleaded guilty to domestic-violence counts of aggravated assault and kidnapping and received a seven-and-a-half-year prison term at Thursday’s hearing. The judge also ordered three years of supervised probation after his release and granted Ortiz 287 days of credit for time he has already spent in custody.
Investigators later told reporters that Ortiz had dropped the knife before being shot and was unarmed when officers opened fire, according to Fox 10 Phoenix.
Official review and charges
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office previously announced a grand-jury indictment charging Ortiz with kidnapping, aggravated assault and other felonies tied to the Aug. 10 incident. The county’s critical-incident callout log lists the officer-involved shooting at U.S. 60 and Alma School Road and shows the case was submitted to the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team for review, according to county records (Maricopa County Attorney’s Office; county OIS log).
What comes next
The sentence marks the end of a months-long legal saga that began with a violent domestic call and a freeway shutdown that drew local attention when charges were filed last fall. For earlier reporting on the indictment and police briefing, see earlier indictment coverage at Hoodline.
