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SALT LAKE CITY — A West Jordan man accused of intentionally running over an employee of a smoke shop twice is facing a first-degree felony attempted murder charge.
Kelly Vaughn Burge, 23, was also charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony, and obstructing justice, a second-degree felony.
On Dec. 21, Burge entered Smokey's Discount Cigarettes, 1597 W. 9000 South, and tried to steal items in the store, according to charging documents. He grabbed some items behind the counter and ran, but when he got to his car, "he realized the cashier was right behind him," the charges state,
Zachary Leroy Don Allen began punching Burge and tried to grab his steering wheel, the charges state, and Burge drove away and ran over Allen. Burge later told police "that he intended to run him over the first time. After he hit him, he reversed and backed over him and then put the car in drive and drove over him again," according to the charges.
"Multiple witnesses in the area reported hearing screaming and screeching tires and observed a red, four-door car run over Zachary 2-3 times," the charges state.
Allen suffered "a crushed pelvis which had to be pinned, a ruptured bladder, and all his ribs were either fractured or broken," according to charging documents.
After West Jordan police released some information to the public, officers received at least two tips as to the driver's identity.
Burge was arrested four days later on an unrelated case by West Valley police for allegedly stealing a laptop and then crashing through a fence to try and get away by driving through a golf course, according to a police affidavit. He was driving the same vehicle used to run over the smoke shop employee, the affidavit states.
Allen then picked Burge out of a photo lineup and he was booked in connection with the attempted murder.
