An Arizona mother has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison for driving her pickup truck through a crowded park and running over a 12-year-old girl’s leg in a fit of rage following a heated confrontation over alleged bullying.
Brandie Gotch, 31, of Peoria, pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced on June 13, according to a statement from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
The incident occurred on Feb. 27, 2024, at Westgreen Park, about 15 miles northwest of Phoenix, where Gotch’s children had been fighting with each other while other kids looked on, encouraging the scuffle and filming it on their phones.
When Gotch arrived to pick up her kids, tensions escalated. A boy at the park called her a name as she walked them to her truck, prompting her to yank the boy by his hair. When a second boy insulted her, Gotch grabbed a stick and chased him around the park.
According to court records cited by the County Attorney’s Office, Gotch screamed during the chase, “I am going to kill you and run you over!”
As she and her kids got into the truck, the second boy stood behind the vehicle, dancing and mocking her. He later moved to stand near his sister. Prosecutors say Gotch backed out, revved her engine, and then sped directly toward the pair. The boy jumped out of the way, but the girl’s leg was run over.
Gotch then continued driving through the park, which was filled with more than a dozen children. Several kids had to scramble to get out of her path.
Despite the chaos, the most serious injury reported was a sprained ankle, along with scrapes and bruises.
“This could have been a much more tragic situation,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “Thankfully, the worst injury in this was a sprained ankle and some bad scrapes and bruises. Even when angry or frustrated, it’s up to adults to act like adults. It is never okay to take our rage out on a kid.”
After fleeing the scene, Gotch was arrested at her home. In interviews with detectives, she said the outburst began after she saw other kids at the park “throwing wood chips at three of her kids” and believed one of them had punched her 10-year-old daughter, according to KTVK.
“She continued by stating her children are being bullied at school and have had issues with this group of kids before and reported it to the school and police but nothing has been done,” court documents stated, according to KSAZ. “She thought the bullying was being continued at the park when she drove up and saw her daughter get hit by one of the other juveniles.”
Gotch admitted to grabbing the first boy and approaching the second with a stick but denied making any threats. She also told police she drove “aggressively” and later said, “I hope I didn’t” run over the girl—though she initially claimed not to believe she had.
Gotch’s attorney information was not immediately available.
