MAN DRIVES VEHICLE INTO PEDESTRIANS OUTSIDE GROCERY STORE IN CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN TOWN, INJURING FOUR. (PHOTO).

Man drives vehicle into pedestrians outside grocery store in California mountain town, injuring four

   A driver intentionally rammed his vehicle into pedestrians at the entrance of a grocery store in the California mountain town of Truckee on Saturday afternoon, injuring four people, including children. Police said the 49-year-old man drove into the front of the Safeway store, striking people gathered near the entrance. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening. Authorities said the driver, who is from Coalinga in the San Joaquin Valley, is believed to have deliberately targeted both the pedestrians and the store itself. Witnesses described a chaotic scene as screams erupted and shoppers rushed outside to help those who had been hit.

One shopper, Scotty Mathewson, said he was inside the store with his wife when he heard a loud crash followed by panicked yelling. As his wife called 911, he ran outside to help check whether anyone was trapped beneath the debris or the pickup truck. He said a youth baseball team had been holding a fundraising table in front of the store, and parents were frantically searching for their children in the aftermath. Witnesses said people shouted at the driver and attempted to open the vehicle, but the doors were locked, and the man remained calm inside until officers arrived and detained him within minutes. The driver was later booked on charges including assault with a deadly weapon, felony vandalism, and a probation violation, and was taken to a jail in Nevada City. The incident rattled the normally quiet town of about 17,000 residents, which is typically crowded this time of year with visitors drawn to nearby Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake for winter recreation.