‘Predator’ beats sleeping man at bus stop, then paralyzes him, AZ officials say

A “predator” has been sentenced in two attacks on unhoused people, Arizona officials said.

In June 2024, 26-year-old Isaiah Adams went up to a man sleeping at a Phoenix bus stop and kicked him in the face and ribs to wake him up, according to a July 5 news release by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

The man tried to escape the attack but Adams shot him in the back, leaving him permanently paralyzed, officials said.

Nine days later, Adams confronted another unhoused person, firing at least nine shots and hitting the victim in the foot, prosecutors said.

He was eventually arrested while driving a stolen car with illegal drugs, officials said.

He pleaded guilty to armed robbery, aggravated assault, conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs for sale and possession of dangerous drugs, officials said.

“This predator didn’t just commit random acts of violence, he deliberately targeted the most vulnerable people in our community,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in the release. “He shot, paralyzed, and terrorized individuals who were simply trying to survive. This kind of cruelty is beyond cowardly, and it has no place in Maricopa County.”

Adams was sentenced to 19 years in prison followed by four years of supervised release, prosecutors said.