MURRAY, Utah, April 8, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A 34-year-old man was arrested for investigation of attempted murder Thursday after police say he intentionally ran over a motorcyclist parked at a Murray apartment complex and then fled the scene.
Surveillance video from March 27 shows a man sitting on a motorcycle and parked near a curb when a dark sedan drives directly at him and crashes into him, according to a probable cause statement filed in Salt Lake City’s 3rd District Court. The motorcyclist bounces off the windshield and roof of the car before landing on the ground in front of the car, police said.
The driver then exits the car and begins to “punch and kick” the injured motorcyclist before fleeing the scene in the sedan, according to the statement.
Police later identified the driver as Kenneth Eugene Cordova. He was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Thursday.
“The suspect, Kenneth Eugene Cordova, showed complete disregard to human life when striking the victim with his vehicle and then continuing to assault the victim after he was hit by his vehicle,” the arresting officer writes in the statement.
The motorcyclist “complained of pain to multiple parts of his body and was transported by ambulance to the hospital,” the statement continues. He did not suffer any serious injuries, police said.
The motorcyclist told police the driver “had a look of hate on his face” as he accelerated toward him, court documents state. He also said he had never seen or had any interaction with the driver prior to the incident, police said.
Police say Cordova claims he encountered the motorcyclist several minutes before the incident and that the man had a gun in his hand, according to the statement.
“(Cordova) stated he got to his car, which was parked outside of the apartment complex, drove back into the complex and ran him over,” the statement continues. “(Cordova) felt he had to ‘kill or be killed’ and believed he had a hit on him from the year 2009.”
Police say there is no evidence that the motorcyclist had a gun. In the statement, police describe Cordova as a “multi-state offender” with offenses in Nevada and Arizona, and “a history of violent behavior.”
