Santa Rosa Man Sentenced to 11 Years-to-Life for Attempted Murder at Taco Bell Drive-Through

A 29-year-old Santa Rosa man, Brad Adams, has been sentenced to 11 years-to-life in state prison for attempting to murder a Taco Bell customer in the fast food restaurant’s drive-through line. Adams was convicted in August of attempted murder and shooting at an occupied building. The sentencing was carried out by Judge Troye Schaffer.

The incident took place on May 4, 2022, at a Taco Bell on Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. According to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, Adams initiated a verbal challenge for a fistfight while waiting in the drive-through line. He then exited his truck, brandishing a handgun equipped with a laser-sight, and pointed it at the victim. Adams subsequently returned to his truck and drove towards the drive-through’s exit.

However, Adams got out of his truck again and instructed one of his passengers to drive the vehicle to a nearby Safeway store. He then hid behind a retaining wall across from the drive-through, waiting for the victim to collect his food from the pick-up window. Adams fired two shots from a semi-automatic pistol into the victim’s car, striking the victim in the wrist.

The victim, a 22-year-old Santa Rosa man, immediately contacted the police to report the shooting. Adams fled to the parking lot of the nearby Safeway store, abandoning his truck and fleeing on foot. The police later discovered a semi-automatic pistol, ammunition, ecstasy, and cocaine inside Adams’ truck. He was apprehended by the police the following day in Brisbane.

At the time of the shooting, Adams was a convicted felon and prohibited from owning firearms. Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez stated that Adams’ actions had terrorized and injured someone in the community, justifying the indeterminate prison sentence imposed by the judge.