Police Identify Driver In San Jose Walmart Rampage
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) - Police have released the name of a man who allegedly crashed his car through the entrance of a Walmart store in San Jose on Sunday then attacked four people, a police spokesman said.
Haamid Zaid, 33, of Seaside, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, hit-and-run, being under the influence of drugs and resisting arrest, police spokesman Office Albert Morales said.
"It's something I haven't seen," Morales said. "Obviously it scared a lot of people. People were stampeding out of Walmart. They described it as total chaos."
Police received reports at about 11:15 a.m. that the driver of a 1970s Oldsmobile had smashed into the glass front doors of a Walmart at 777 Story Road in East San Jose, Morales said.
The driver immediately exited the car, picked up a piece of metal piping from inside the store and began to beat customers, Morales said.
Suspect in Bizarre San Jose Walmart Crash, Attack, Could Appear in Court Today
Sharon Kaye, a music teacher who lives about a block from the store, said she was parked outside the Walmart in her car when the Oldsmobile ran into the driver's side of her vehicle.
"He was going very fast and he had an old, heavy car," Kaye said. "He made wheelies around the parking lot and tried to hit me again."
She got out of her car, and then the driver drove directly at her as she stood on a sidewalk, apparently aiming for the store. Kaye said she barely got out of the way.
He then backed his car up to position it better and plowed through the glass and steel of the double doors before hitting a beer display beside lined-up shopping carts, Kaye said.
Afterward, she spoke with another driver who said the Oldsmobile had hit his car, too.
Witnesses at the store held the suspect down before police arrived, Morales said.
One of the victims was seriously injured and was taken to a hospital, while three others with less serious injuries were also hospitalized and released, he said.
Officers transported the suspect to a hospital for treatment before booking him into Santa Clara County Jail, Morales said.
Police have not determined the motive for the incident, Morales said.
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