Police Save Older Man From Accidentally Crashing Into Walmart

PASADENA, MD — Police said an older man almost unknowingly drove into the entrance of a Pasadena Walmart on Monday evening. Officers blocked the path, saving everybody involved from the accident, an incident report clarified.

Around 5:45 p.m., police heard word of a distressed man in the store's parking lot, located at 8107 Ritchie Highway. Officers found the man inside, sitting in the driver's seat of his running car. He appeared disoriented and upset, the report noted.

Police said they tried to get his attention by tapping on his window, calling out to him and waving their arms. They got no response, the write-up indicated.

The press release added that the man accelerated without warning. He drove erratically around the parking lot before barrelling toward the store entrance, officers reported.

With pedestrians potentially at risk, police said they gently boxed the car in, pinning it between their three patrol cars. The driver, however, kept his foot on both the gas and brake pedals, causing the engine to rev and smoke, officers recounted.

Still unresponsive and unaware of his surroundings, the report indicated that police used a lockout kit to safely open the man's car door. Officers then calmed him down, the release continued.

The Anne Arundel County Fire Department evaluated the man and found that he showed signs of a medical emergency, the write-up added. Medics took him to an unnamed hospital, the report concluded.

"The quick actions by officers clearly prevented potentially serious injuries to the driver and pedestrians in the area," the Anne Arundel County Police Department said in an email.

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