Arizona Mother, 31, Sentenced After Driving Pickup Truck Through Park and Running Over 12-Year-Old Girl's Leg

An Arizona mother accused of driving her pickup truck through a park and running over a 12-year-old girl’s leg has received her sentence.

Brandie Gotch, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated assault stemming from a February 2024 trip to a Peoria park that turned violent, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced on Saturday, June 14.

“This could have been a much more tragic situation; thankfully the worst injury in this was a sprained ankle and some bad scrapes and bruises,” Mitchell wrote in a statement following the sentencing.

Gotch initially went to Westgreen Park to pick up her children after they had gotten into a fight with each other — and after other kids were allegedly “egging them on and recording the altercation,” according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO).

Per records previously obtained by AZFamily, Gotch arrived at the park around 4 p.m. local time on Feb. 27, 2024, in a white Chevy Silverado.

At one point, a boy on the playground reportedly called Gotch a name as she was walking her kids back to the truck, the MCAO stated. The 31-year-old then “started pulling him by his hair” and chased a second boy “around the park with a stick” after he also called her a name.

AZFamily previously reported that Gotch pulled the 14-year-old boy’s head back and forth. Citing court documents, The Arizona Republic reported that she allegedly yelled “I am going to kill you and run you over” while chasing the child with a stick.

“Gotch then got into her truck with her kids. The second boy stood behind the truck, dancing and mocking her. He eventually moved away to stand by his sister,” the statement from the attorney’s office continued. “At that point, Gotch backed out of the parking space, revved her engine and drove right at the boy and his sister.”

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While the boy was able to jump out of the vehicle’s way, Gotch ran over his sister’s leg with her truck, per the attorney’s office.

Gotch then continued to drive through Westgreen Park, where “over a dozen” children were present. Per the attorney’s office, some “had to run to get out of the truck’s path.”

When speaking with police after the incident, Gotch claimed the preteens threw wood chips at three of her children and said she believed one of the kids punched her 10-year-old daughter, per AZFamily.

Gotch said, “I hope I didn’t,” in reference to running over the girl’s leg, according to The Arizona Republic. She also alleged the children at the park called her a “bitch.”

She was eventually arrested at her home after leaving the park.

Gotch was initially booked on six counts of endangerment, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of attempted first-degree murder, per AZFamily, and was held on $250,000 cash bond.

“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,” Mitchell wrote in her statement.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.