Man ran over victim, police say
A Phoenix man was arrested over the weekend after Mesa police said he was high on methamphetamine when he ran over a man then put his SUV in reverse to run the victim over a second time, according to court documents.
Police said Frank Gonzales, 21, fled the scene on Thursday night near Mesa Drive and Broadway Road and left the victim with significant injuries including a broken back, according to court records.
According to court documents, Gonzales told police that he was looking for a woman who had the title to his GMC Yukon, and when he found her she was with another man.
Gonzales said he asked the woman a few days earlier to put her name on the title, which she did, according to court records.
The woman, who was staying with Gonzales in a hotel room, later thought that Gonzales was conducting illegal activity within the vehicle and walked away with the title to the vehicle, police said.
On Thursday, Gonzales received information that the woman holding his title was in a west Mesa neighborhood and when he saw her with another man, he started to drive quickly at the couple, according to court records.
The victim was flailing his arms as Gonzales drove toward him, according to a police report.
Gonzales hit the man which threw him under the SUV, police said. Gonzales then put the SUV in reverse and hit the man again, according to court records.
Gonzales originally told police he thought he saw the man with a gun before Gonzales struck him, but he later recanted his story and said he knew the victim to carry a gun, according to court documents.
Gonzales was arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and various drug charges.