On Friday, May 12th, a Yavapai County Jury found Erik Adrian Engdahl, 72, of Springerville, guilty of Drive by Shooting, Aggravated Assault, Criminal Damage, and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
The case stems from a road rage incident the afternoon of March 19, 2021, when the victim passed Engdahl on Walker Road. Outraged, Engdahl aggressively pursued the victim, caught up to him near mile marker 3, then fired a shot at the victim’s car from a black handgun. The victim was able to provide law enforcement with a detailed description of Engdahl and his vehicle.
After a thorough investigation, detectives from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office were able to confirm Engdahl’s identity and vehicle description. Engdahl, in an attempt to evade law enforcement, changed his physical appearance by shaving off his long standing and distinct mustache, and removing the roof rack and bumper sticker from his vehicle. Engdahl then drove his vehicle to Las Vegas and left it at a friend’s house. He had that friend lie to local law enforcement that the vehicle had been at the Las Vegas residence for the past month. Engdahl’s friend later back peddled on how long the vehicle had been at his residence when confronted with conflicting evidence.
“Road rage cases are sometimes difficult to prove, but detectives from YCSO did a great job in making this case,” said Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane. “After the jury heard a thorough presentation of the case by Deputy County Attorneys Karolina Czaplinska and Vince Ware, they came to a unanimous agreement on most of the charges against Mr. Engdahl and he now faces a lengthy prison sentence for his outrageous misconduct.”
Engdahl is facing a term of imprisonment from seven to 20 years. Sentencing is scheduled for June 26, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.