Maricopa Sheriff(PHOENIX) — A man accused of trying to run over three Phoenix, Arizona, police officers, in what the police chief described as a “violent, intentional attack,” appeared in court Wednesday morning.
Marc LaQuon Payne, 44, is facing charges that include three counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of aggravated assault. He was held on no bail. He did not enter a plea.
The judge Wednesday appointed Payne an attorney. His next court appearance was set for next Tuesday.
Phoenix Police Chief Joe Yahner said the three cops were standing in a parking lot early Tuesday when the suspect drove “directly at them attempting to run them over.”
Yahner said the car hit two of the officers, collided into a police car and crashed into a store, in a moment caught on surveillance video.
One officer flew 8 feet into air, according to police.
Payne then “struggled violently with the officers for several minutes before being taken into custody,” Yahner said.
Two officers hit by the car suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The third officer, who jumped out of the way of the car, suffered some injuries during the struggle with Payne.
Separately, court documents show that Payne attacked three Phoenix police officers nearly 20 years ago, during a 1997 traffic stop, for which he received probation, according to ABC Phoenix affiliate KNXV-TV.
After this week’s attack, one officer remains hospitalized, a prosecutor said Wednesda morning in court.
“The actions taken by our officers in the immediate moments following this incident were nothing short of heroic,” police chief Yahner said.
“We are very fortunate these officers were not killed or more seriously injured,” he added. “We are living in uncertain times, and this is yet another reminder of how important it is to stay vigilant, and to watch out for one another.”
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