A vehicle radar apparatus and a method of controlling the vehicle radar apparatus, including a transmission array antenna that radiates a radar signal for forward detection; a reception array antenna that operates at N (N is an integer greater than zero) reception channels for receiving the radar signal that is radiated by the transmission array antenna, reflects from a target, and returns; an azimuth angle estimation unit that estimates an azimuth angle of the target using each non-offset reception channel of the N reception channels; and an elevation angle estimation unit that estimates an elevation angle of the target in a diagonal direction in which each non-offset channel of the N reception channels is tilted with respect to an azimuth angle of an offset reception channel thereof.