Suspect in hit and run surrenders to police

Police charged a 20-year-old man with multiple counts of attempted murder in connection with a May 17 incident in which the man allegedly drove a vehicle through a group of teenagers in Ewa Beach.

An 18-year-old woman was critically injured in the incident.

Malik Morton turned himself in to police on May 19. He was charged Saturday with first-degree attempted murder, two counts of second-degree attempted murder, and first-degree terroristic threatening.

His bail was set at $1 million.

A 20-year-old former Leilehua High School football player suspected of intentionally driving into a crowd of young people and critically injuring an 18-year-old woman in Ewa Beach on Tuesday turned himself in Thursday after he discovered police were looking for him, his lawyer said.

Police arrested Malik K. Morton, 20, at the main police station on suspicion of two counts of second-degree attempted murder Thursday afternoon, but he had not been charged Thursday.

Morton’s attorney, Victor Bakke, said police “talked to his high school football coach, and he just had praises for the kid. He has no record. He played college football. He’s a great kid, not like some gangbanger.” Morton was on the 2014 roster as a cornerback for Golden West College in California.

Bakke said Morton moved to the mainland to play college ball and recently returned to Hawaii. Bakke said he recommended his client use his former Fayetteville, N.C., address in case of possible retaliation. Morton was the focus of threats seen on social media, he said.

Bakke said he told his client, ‘We got to get you turned in because of all the threats. … Hopefully, that’ll settle down. People are saying, ‘We gotta go get this guy.’”

Bakke would not say whether his client was driving the car.

Police are still looking for the car that struck the woman, a 2015 Campbell High School graduate, and a 17-year-old boy who was taken in stable condition to a hospital.

Police describe it as a silver 2015 four-door Hyundai sedan, license plate number SPR 609, which might be in the Wahiawa area.

Witnesses said an argument broke out among a group of young people gathered in the middle of Fort Weaver Road near Kihala Street.

A car stopped next to the group, then sped away, returned and sped off again, hitting people as it left.

Witnesses said the driver swerved to apparently intentionally hit pedestrians as they scattered. The vehicle hit the woman, who was tossed into the air on impact.

Bakke said it was a huge party with underage drinking. “I’m not sure why he was there.”