Mom Punched in Face in Walmart Over Parking Lot Dispute (Video)

A Washington mother says a routine shopping trip turned into a terrifying confrontation when a 77-year-old man allegedly punched her in the face and physically restrained her outside a Walmart, all because she tapped his vehicle to keep him from hitting her open car door.

The disturbing encounter unfolded around 10:13 a.m. on November 10 at a Walmart in Hazel Dell, near Vancouver, as the woman was trying to secure her infant son in his car seat.

According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the trouble began when another driver pulled into the parking space beside her. Worried that his vehicle would strike her open door, the mother tapped the car to get his attention.

Instead of simply parking, the driver allegedly stepped out and confronted her. Within moments, the disagreement turned physical.

The woman told investigators that the man, later identified as Timothy Coe, punched her on the right side of her face and grabbed her arms. Deputies responding to the scene observed redness on her face, swelling around her eyelid and bruising on her arms.

But the mother’s account of what happened next paints an even more frightening picture.

In a statement to KOIN, she explained that she had started recording the confrontation on her cellphone when the man allegedly struck it, abruptly ending the video before punching her.

She said she managed to get her infant son inside her vehicle and lock the door, but hadn’t finished buckling him into his car seat when the confrontation continued.

The mother alleged that Coe then came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and restrained her while attempting to take her phone.

She described screaming, kicking and struggling to break free as she desperately tried to escape.

Fortunately, another man approached and intervened. The witness helped separate the two, allowing the mother to get back into her vehicle and lock the doors.

The entire ordeal lasted less than three minutes, according to the woman.

Investigators later reviewed video footage and photographs she provided, including images of the suspect and his license plate.

The following morning, November 11, deputies located Coe at his Vancouver home and arrested him without incident.

Coe was booked into the Clark County Jail on a fourth-degree assault charge. He has since posted bail and is scheduled to appear in court on November 20. The allegations against him have not been proven in court.

Walmart addressed the incident in a statement to PEOPLE, emphasizing that customer and employee safety remains a priority and that the company would cooperate with law enforcement.

For the mother, what began as an attempt to protect her vehicle while caring for her baby ended in an encounter she says left her injured and shaken.

She told KOIN that she and her son are now safe and expressed hope that the legal process will move forward appropriately.