3 more attempted murder charges for man accused of ‘choosing females at random to hit’ with car

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By: Kyle Dunphey, Utah News Dispatch

Prosecutors filed new charges on Thursday against a man accused of intentionally hitting random female pedestrians with his car over the course of seven months.

The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced three additional attempted murder charges against 26-year-old Anh Dut Pham stemming from two incidents in March. Pham now faces nine attempted murder charges, all first-degree felonies.

The office is also charging Pham with six counts of failing to stop at a serious injury accident, a third-degree felony, and three counts of failing to stop at an injury accident, a class A misdemeanor.

According to court documents, Pham “does not know the female victims and has been choosing females at random to hit.”

That includes a woman and man walking with a dog on March 2 at 900 South and 1300 East in Salt Lake City, according to the charges filed Thursday. At about 11:18 p.m. as they crossed the street, prosecutors say Pham rounded the corner in his white Toyota sedan and purposely turned into oncoming lanes to strike the woman.

The woman was “struck, thrown over the Toyota and thrown to the side of the road,” resulting in a broken hip and concussion, according to court documents, while the man was hit by the car’s mirror.

Then on March 12, prosecutors say a woman was walking on 166 North T Street in Salt Lake City when she “heard vehicle tires squeal and observed a white vehicle accelerate around the corner and start to drive towards her.” The woman jumped behind garbage cans to avoid the car, but Pham was still able to strike her, knocking her unconscious and resulting in a concussion and subdural hematoma, according to court documents.

Pham was arrested the next day on March 13 after police located his car at a park. He told officers he “​​may have lent the vehicle to one of his friends,” but later admitted he “doesn’t let anyone drive” the white Toyota, according to court documents. His family later confirmed that he is the only person who drives the car, prosecutors say.

“We thank Salt Lake City Police Department detectives and our prosecutors for their continual work on this case to help ensure justice for our community. All persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a statement.

Prior to Thursday’s charges, Pham was accused of hitting several women walking in Salt Lake County. The victims include:

• A 36-year-old woman hit at 1000 West and 500 South in Salt Lake City on Aug. 22, 2023, after Pham allegedly asked her to get in his car. Witnesses told investigators “the white vehicle sped up and hit (the woman) causing her to fly over the vehicle and land on the ground hard before speeding away.” The woman suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention.
• A 50-year-old woman and her daughter hit at 1700 East and 11490 South in Sandy on Feb. 24 after Pham allegedly circled the street three times. The woman suffered an epidural hematoma, temporal bone fracture and blunt force trauma, and her daughter suffered a scalp laceration and back injuries, court documents state.
• Two women, ages 44 and 50, struck at the intersection of Douglas and Laird streets in Salt Lake City on Feb. 28. One of the women told police “she heard a vehicle accelerating before being struck from behind.” One suffered a concussion, head lacerations and fractured front teeth; the other suffered a brain bleed, concussion, hand fracture, and head and scalp lacerations, according to charging documents.
• A 20-year-old woman hit at 600 West and North Temple in Salt Lake City on March 11. As she crossed the street with a friend, Pham’s “Toyota is observed quickly picking up speed and the sound of the collision is heard,” according to court documents. The woman suffered a fractured skull, pelvis, femur and tibia/fibula, and a brain bleed. She is still in intensive care after initially being placed on a ventilator.