West Valley man sentenced to 26 years in prison for targeted shootings at law enforcement

PHOENIX — A West Valley man was sentenced to 26 years in prison after he shot at multiple members of law enforcement, authorities announced Monday.

Saul Ballardo of El Mirage shot at 48 members of law enforcement and tried to fly a drone into an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter between July and December 2021, according to a press release from DPS.

Ballardo targeted members of the El Mirage Police Department, Surprise Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona Department of Transportation’s Enforcement and Compliance Division and DPS.

There were 14 shootings by the 40-year-old Ballardo but nobody was ever struck by a bullet.

Ballardo was arrested in January 2022 and eventually pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

“Thanks to the hard work of all the individuals involved in this investigation, Ballardo can no longer terrorize our local communities,” DPS said in the release.

The investigation was handled by DPS’ Criminal Investigations Division.

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