A Phoenix man was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for a carjacking in Peoria.
Adonijah Josiah Ortega was sentenced Sept. 3 by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 171 months in prison, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office news release. Ortega previously pleaded guilty to carjacking and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
“Violent perpetrators like Mr. Ortega should know there is no safe place for them in Arizona because we won’t rest until we see them behind bars,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said in the release.
On the morning of Aug. 8, 2022, the 23-year-old Ortega approached the victim in a business parking lot in Peoria, according to the release.
A fight erupted between Ortega and the victim,
after Ortega demanded his wallet and keys. As the two men fought, Ortega struck the victim in the head multiple times with a pistol and then shot him in the leg, according to the release.
The victim limped into a nearby Target store, where people provided aid until paramedics arrived to transport him to a hospital.
Ortega fled the scene with the victim's 2004 Toyota 4-Runner, which was found the next day by Phoenix Police Department. According to the press release, Ortega had attempted to set it on fire, dousing the interior with gasoline and shooting at it.
Investigators with the FBI and the Peoria and Phoenix police departments found and arrested Ortega three days later at an apartment complex.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Carjacker who shot victim in Peoria sentenced to prison
