Motorists Reportedly Behaving Badly: 'Parking Lot Rage' in West Des Moines

A 23-year-old West Des Moines woman declined medical treatment after she was struck by a Chevy Tahoe SUV following a dispute in the parking lot of a discount store, according to police reports.

West Des Moines Police Officer Barry Graham was assisting a person with a locked vehicle in the Walmart Supercenter parking lot, 6365 Stagecoach Drive, about 4 p.m. on Jan. 14, when he saw an argument between the victim and the driver of the SUV.

By the time Graham reached her, the Tahoe, which had personalized license plates and was registered to a Winterset man, had driven away.

The victim told Graham that she had pulled into the parking lane and the driver of the SUV was in her lane of traffic. She said she pulled her vehicle around his to find a parking space, and he reversed his vehicle and followed her. After she parked, the other driver began shouting at her and she reportedly told him “he had better knock it off.”

At that point, the victim told Graham, the other driver “started to quickly accelerate toward her. He then struck her with his vehicle on her right side.”

The victim told police that her purse, which she was carrying on her right side, cushioned the blow and she didn’t need medical attention.

Reportedly Impatient Driver “Smacked” Other Motorist's Mirror

On Jan. 12, a motorist looking for a parking spot at Jordan Creek Town Center reported that another driver broke the driver side mirror on his vehicle when he “smacked” it with his hand and then kicked the side of his vehicle, leaving a black scuff mark. The victim reported $250 damage to his vehicle.

The victim said that while waiting for another vehicle to pull out of a spot, he stopped his vehicle briefly in front of a handicapped spot where the suspect was parked.

The victim said the suspect yelled at him to move and he replied he would only be there for a few seconds. The suspect began backing from the spot anyway, coming “within a few inches of [the victim’s] vehicle in an aggressive manner,” according to the report.

The victim, a 24-year-old Des Moines man, said he wanted to avoid confrontation, so he drove to another parking spot. The suspect reportedly backed out, then drove alongside him, forcing the victim to stop, then got out and approached the victim, broke the mirror, kicked the car, then got back in his vehicle and drove away.