Luka Kang drives into six kids

[Sister Iroz]

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 smoking car would catch fire, several witnesses pulled Kang out.

Three boys were hospitalized but were not seriously hurt, the sheriff's office said. Three others were treated at the scene.

Investigators have said they believe Kang purposely aimed his car at the children.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12378313

Luka Wall Kang will not face attempted homicide charges. On Friday, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office filed 12 counts of aggravated assault against the refugee from Sudan, accused of using his vehicle as a weapon to plow into teens on a Kearns sidewalk.

Last week, five kids were struck and seven others darted out of the way to avoid being hit. During the ordeal, witnesses reported Kang sped up, and the brake lights never came on, even after one boy held on to the hood of the car, and screamed at Kang as he drove.

Assistant D.A. Alicia Cook said to file attempted homicide charges, prosecutors would have had to prove Kang "intended" to kill, something she said would have been difficult.

Still, the decision to file aggravated assault charges may meet with surprise and disappointment among those involved.

"That's nothing. They're (the charges) are not enough at all," a mother of a boy who was injured told 2 News. "That upsets me."

Kang had been staying at the home of another Sudanese refugee, Gak Dohl. Dohl said Kang was injured while he worked at a hospital, and that he may have had trouble seeing. A doctor said Kang "had a little bit of injury in his eyes," according to Dohl.

http://www.kutv.com/content/news/loc...dLVdmeSFA.cspx

[Pete Bondurant]

Fokking kaffir!

[Lizard]

A 51-year-old man accused of deliberately running down a number of Kearns Junior High students last year is being considered as a candidate for mental health court.

Luka Wall Kang is charged in 3rd District Court with 12 counts of aggravated assault -- six counts for students either struck or touched by the car and six counts for students who narrowly avoided being hit along 4015 West near 5600 South on May 6. Each count is a third-degree felony carrying the potential of a zero-to-five-year prison term.

But if Kang's case is moved to mental health court, the focus will shift away from incarceration toward treatment with medication, counseling and monitoring. Mental health court defendants must stay on their medication, attend therapy and counseling for addictions, complete community service requirements and attend weekly court hearings.

Prosecutor Sandi Johnson said Friday it was unclear what type of mental illness Kang may have.

<snip>

Investigators have said they believe Kang purposely aimed his car at the students. No reason for Kang's alleged behavior was given during the hearing.

However, the day before the episode, Kang -- a refugee from Sudan who is now an American citizen -- had expressed during a bus ride that he was depressed and frustrated with his new life, according to Bill Anderson of South Salt Lake, who later reported the encounter to The Tribune .

Another explanation came from a friend of Kang's, Gak Dhol, who has told The Tribune that Kang suffers from bad eyesight because of an industrial accident.

A four-day trial scheduled to begin next week has been cancelled. A status hearing is set for June 25 before Judge Deno Himonas.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_15088191

[Valasca]

It must be because he lives on the second floor. He lives upstairs from you. yes, I think you've seen him before.

[Abroad]

If you hear something late at night, - some kind of trouble, some kind of fight.........

[Nell]

My son's name is Luca. But I named him after Dr. Luca Kovac on ER. Yum.