At his initial court appearance, 46-year-old Barry Thomas Jordan told the judge he needed to speak with a "Toyota expert" about the gas pedal on the 2007 pickup truck he allegedly plowed into a 1999 Honda carrying the victims last month.
"Toyota told me that there was no reason to bring the vehicle in, and I think there may be a problem,"Jordan told the judge in his initial appearance.Court records obtained by New Times suggest that the problem was more with Jordan's erratic driving than with the vehicle itself.
About 9:30 a.m. on February 19, Jordan was seen running several red lights while driving through both Scottsdale and Phoenix while hauling a fully loaded cargo trailer behind his truck.
If there had been a problem with the gas pedal, there's a simple solution: put it in neutral.
Jordan, however, didn't do that. He continued to blow through red lights and drive into opposing traffic lanes.
When he got to the intersection of East Cactus Road and Paradise Village Parkway, he collided with the Honda driven by the victims.
One victim was rushed to the hospital with bleeding to the brain and broken ribs, while another suffered a head injury after getting ejected from the vehicle. The 11-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the wreck, Jordan's car came to an uncontrolled stop after driving over a raised concrete median. Jordan jumped from the car and began "yelling about Jesus and Satan," before running into a nearby parking lot.
Once in the parking lot, Jordan grabbed a woman before he was detained by a male passerby.
Jordan's been charged with one count of manslaughter for the death of the girl, two counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of endangerment.
Jordan's scheduled back in court on Friday.
