The confrontation began as the woman was loading her infant into a vehicle and worried another car might strike her open door.
HAZEL DELL, Wash. — A 77-year-old Washington man was arrested after authorities said he punched a mother in the face and grabbed her arms during a parking lot confrontation outside a Walmart while she was loading her infant into a vehicle.
Timothy Coe of Vancouver was booked into the Clark County Jail on one count of fourth-degree assault following the Nov. 10 incident at the Walmart at 9000 N.E. Highway 99 in Hazel Dell, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies arrested Coe at his Vancouver home the following morning without incident. The charge is an allegation and has not been proven in court.
Deputies were called to the Walmart at about 10:13 a.m. after a woman reported that a man had punched her in the face and pushed her to the ground. The woman told investigators she had been loading her infant into her vehicle when another driver began pulling into the parking space beside her.
According to the sheriff’s office, the woman became concerned that the approaching vehicle might strike her open car door, so she tapped the vehicle to alert the driver. Authorities said the driver, later identified as Coe, got out of his vehicle and an argument followed.
The woman told deputies that Coe punched the right side of her face with his left fist and grabbed her arms. Responding deputies said they observed redness on her face, swelling around an eyelid and bruising on her arms. A witness intervened and helped separate the woman and Coe, according to the sheriff’s office.
The woman also provided investigators with video footage and photographs showing the man and his vehicle, including its license plate. She later told KOIN that she had begun recording the confrontation on her phone and alleged that the man struck the device before punching her. She said her infant was inside the vehicle during the encounter.
The sheriff’s office said deputies used information gathered during the investigation before contacting Coe at his residence at about 9 a.m. Nov. 11. He was taken into custody without incident and booked on the assault allegation. Authorities did not announce any additional charges in the initial release.
People reported, citing KOIN, that Coe later posted bail and was scheduled to appear in court Nov. 20. Publicly available reports reviewed Friday did not indicate that he had entered a plea or that the case had reached a final disposition.
Walmart told People that the safety of its customers and employees is a priority and that the company would cooperate with law enforcement. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office had not announced additional arrests or a change in the charge as of the latest available reporting.