Man gets 10 years for driving into club crowd

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Kansas City man received a 10-year prison sentence for driving his Cadillac into a crowd outside a Springfield nightclub.

Demond Parker, 30, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to six counts of assault and one count of leaving the scene of an accident that injured several people on March 15, 2002.

"I wasn't able to rationalize and come up with a better solution," Parker told the judge. "I had no intention of hurting any of those people."

Prosecutors said Parker was hit over the head with a beer bottle at Remington's after flirting with several women who had dates.

Officials said Parker hit a security guard and another vehicle before driving into a crowd of about 50 people.

Parker fled the scene, and eight people were taken to hospitals with wounds ranging from scrapes to head injuries.

Witnesses later identified Parker from a photo lineup, according to Springfield police.

Parker was on probation when he plowed into the crowd. He has two prior felony convictions, including second-degree drug trafficking.