A man who assaulted his girlfriend, crashed a stolen SUV into a Buckeye apartment, and then fled the scene, leaving her trapped inside, has been sentenced to eight years in prison, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced today.
Keith Auzenne, 37, pleaded guilty to kidnapping, aggravated assault, and unlawful use of means of transportation in connection with the September 2024 crash, according to a press release.
Prosecutors said Auzenne’s girlfriend was driving the SUV when the two began arguing. She stopped and tried to get out, but Auzenne forced her into the back seat, climbed behind the wheel, and sped off while holding her down. He reached 104 mph before the SUV hit a curb, flew 54 feet through a block wall, and continued airborne another 59 feet before slamming into an apartment near Baseline and Miller roads.
The crash destroyed a wall, damaged beams, and shattered a glass door, sending debris into the apartment, where two adults and four children were inside. One child suffered minor injuries from stepping on glass.
After his release from prison, Auzenne will serve four years of probation.
“Driving a vehicle with total disregard for everyone in his path was not an accident, it was a choice,” Mitchell said. “This defendant’s actions, rooted in domestic abuse, put innocent lives at risk, and it’s fortunate that no one was seriously hurt.”
