Prosecutors charge driver who steered into six children

The 50-year-old man who drove along a sidewalk and into six children as they walked home from school earlier this month now faces a slew of charges.

The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office filed 12 counts of aggravated assault, all third-degree felonies, against Luka Wall Kang on Friday morning. If convicted, Kang faces up to five years in prison for each count.

The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office arrested Kang after he allegedly drove into the children on May 6 at 4015 West near 5600 South as they left Kearns Junior High around 3:10 p.m.

According to charging documents, witnesses saw Kang make a sharp turn off the main road and onto the sidewalk.

He struck two children, one of whom was thrown onto the roadway while the other was propelled into a fence. Another pushed off the driver's side of the car and avoided being struck while a fourth teen ran into a yard and was missed by the car.

Witnesses said the vehicle then accelerated and struck another teen while six others jumped out of the way. The car then steered around a fence and struck yet another teen. The impact spun the teen around and knocked that child onto the hood. The teen then held on to the hood as the car continued. Charging documents state the teen was "looking at the driver and screaming."

The vehicle continued 200 feet and eventually hit an 18-inch retaining wall. The teen was thrown from the vehicle, which rolled and came to a rest.

Witnesses said the brake lights never came on and the vehicle never slowed. Worried the car would catch fire, several witnesses pulled Kang from the smoking vehicle.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12378313