Man accused of plowing car into 3 Phoenix officers pleads guilty

PHOENIX (AP) – A man accused of deliberately plowing a car into three Phoenix police officers two years ago outside a convenience store in west Phoenix has pleaded guilty to 12 felony charges, including three counts of attempted murder.

Marc Laquon Payne faces 10 to 54 years in prison for the September 2016 attack that caused a broken leg for one officer, a concussion for another officer and minor injuries for the third officer. Payne made his guilty pleas Tuesday.

The attack came during an especially violent year for police officers nationwide, including separate deadly attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Authorities say the 47-year-old Payne sped across the store’s parking lot where the officers who were there on another call were standing and slammed into the officers.

One officer was thrown over the front of Payne’s vehicle, while another was pinned between a police SUV and Payne’s vehicle. The third officer avoided direct impact and was involved in a physical confrontation with Payne after the suspect was removed from the vehicle.

Police say Payne fought with officers, but he was taken into custody after one of the officers used a stun gun on Payne.

Payne’s vehicle also struck the front of the store, prompting an employee to jump out of the way.

Not long after his arrest, Payne’s lawyer asked a court for evaluations on whether his client was mentally fit to assist in his defense, saying Payne seemed to be having visual and audio hallucinations.

Several months later, a judge deemed Payne psychologically competent.

Sentencing for Payne, who had a 1998 aggravated assault conviction, is scheduled for May 21.

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