Man who ran over veteran speaks out

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A Valley man behind bars is speaking out about running down an Army veteran in a Chandler parking lot. The veteran stepped in to break up a domestic dispute happening last week, the couple who was fighting got into their car and ran him over.

Steve Richardson is out of the hospital and is home recovering, and now the suspect arrested is speaking out from the Lower Buckeye Jail about why he says he did it. He says he did it because he didn't want to be there when the police arrived, while he says he's sorry for what happened, he also says the victim should have stayed out of it.

"I tell him I am sorry, I didn't mean for him to get hurt, I didn't mean for anybody to get hurt," said Cody Gibson.

That is the closest Gibson got to an apology.

So does Gibson think Richardson deserved being hurt? "No, He just shouldn't have gotten in our business, tell him to take that advice, don't get in people's business, and you will be ok," said Gibson.

Witnesses claim Gibson was dragging his girlfriend through a parking lot when Richardson, an Iraq War Veteran, tried to block Gibson's car. Police say Gibson hit the father of three and took off.

"Right before I hit him, I stepped on the brakes, and he didn't move, what else are you going to do? I ain't going to stay there for the cops to come," he said.

It took authorities a few days to track Gibson down to the Gila River Indian Reservation, but he says he was not hiding.

"They couldn't find me, I was just going here and there, I finally gave myself up when I heard they had a search warrant, so I gave myself up voluntarily," said Gibson.

He also denies dragging his girlfriend by the hair through the parking lot.

"I take full responsibility, but he shouldn't have got into our business if he minded his own business he wouldn't be in the hospital and I wouldn't be here," he said.

FOX 10 showed Richardson him the interview Gibson gave Monday and he was shocked by much of what he heard.

"I saw something being done that was wrong, I thought it was my duty not only as a veteran, but as somebody with a heart and common sense in my head to stop it and try to keep it from happening," said Stephen Richardson.

"He's sitting where he belongs, and I hope he stays there honestly because we don't need that in our society. We need people that are willing to step up and be a real human being, and people who are willing to help others, that's what we need now," said Richardson.

Richardson says there were many other people who tried to intervene that day and he is glad Gibson is behind bars.  He continues to recover from his injuries but is still fighting migraines and memory loss.