A Washington mother was allegedly punched in the face and physically restrained by a 77-year-old man after she lightly tapped his vehicle to prevent him from hitting her open car door while she was putting her baby inside.
What began as an ordinary shopping trip to Walmart turned into a frightening confrontation that left the woman bruised and swollen, with police saying the suspect became furious over the seemingly harmless gesture.
Timothy Coe, 77, of Vancouver, Washington, was arrested following the November 10 incident outside a Walmart in Hazel Dell, just north of Vancouver.
According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the store on Northeast Highway 99 around 10:13 a.m. after receiving a frantic call from a woman reporting that a man had punched her and pushed her to the ground.
The mother told investigators she had been loading her infant into a car seat when another driver began pulling into the parking space directly beside her.
Concerned that the approaching vehicle might strike her open door, she reached out and tapped the car to alert the driver.
But instead of stopping and allowing her to safely finish securing her child, the man allegedly climbed out of his vehicle and confronted her.
Police say an argument quickly escalated into violence.
The woman reported that Coe punched her on the right side of her face with his left fist before grabbing her arms. When deputies arrived, they observed redness on her face, swelling around her eyelid and bruises on her arms.
The mother, who has chosen to remain anonymous, later provided a disturbing account of the confrontation to Portland television station KOIN.
She explained that she had managed to get her baby inside the vehicle and close the door, but the infant had not yet been secured in the car seat when the confrontation intensified.
Realizing the situation was escalating, she pulled out her cellphone and began recording.
“The man struck my phone, causing the recording to stop, and punched me in the face,” she recalled.
But the alleged attack did not end there.
According to the woman, Coe approached her from behind, wrapped his arms around her and attempted to take her cellphone while physically preventing her from moving away.
Terrified, she began screaming for him to release her.
“I kicked, swung my elbows, and scratched in an attempt to get free,” she said, describing her efforts to escape.
She claimed she was unable to reach her phone or call for help while being restrained.
Fortunately, a witness who saw the confrontation stepped in and separated the two, bringing the alleged assault to an end.
The mother remained at the Walmart until deputies arrived, providing investigators with video footage and photographs of the suspect and his vehicle, including a clear image of his license plate.
That evidence helped authorities identify Coe.
The following morning, November 11, deputies went to his Vancouver home around 9 a.m. and arrested him without incident.
He was booked into the Clark County Jail on one count of fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor under Washington law.
Coe has since posted bail and is scheduled to appear in court on November 20.
The incident has drawn attention because of how quickly an ordinary parking lot interaction allegedly turned violent, particularly with an infant nearby.
What investigators described as a simple attempt to prevent a car door from being struck reportedly escalated into a physical confrontation that left the mother with visible injuries.
Authorities have not reported that the infant was injured.
The case remains pending, and Coe is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
