Disabled man assaulted after asking driver not to park in handicapped space: police

Police have charged a man with assault for allegedly knocking a disabled man out of his wheelchair following a dispute over a handicapped parking space in Pleasant Hill, Calif.

Video footage from a Target store shows the suspect, 32-year-old Jimmie Tiger, standing over Philip Kinstler, 52, and then pushing him to the floor, leaving Kinstler with a broken wrist and injuries to his torso, according to police reports.

Police say the Jan. 11 incident occurred after Kinstler confronted Tiger’s partner, who had parked in a space that required a disabled parking placard, and asked that she not park in a handicapped space. Kinstler then went inside the store to ask that the police be called, according to KTVU, a local Fox affiliate.

“I thought I would ask her kindly if they could not park there again, in an accessible spot,” Kinstler said, according to The Washington Post.

Tiger then searched for Kinstler inside Target and demanded he apologize for bothering his partner, according to police reports. Kinstler refused, prompting Tiger to knock him over, police said.

“I was in shock,” Kinstler told the Post. “I looked down at my wrist, and it was all askew, and then the pain hit and I thought, my life is over.”

Kinstler said he was born with a rare degenerative disease called syringomyelia and has been in a wheelchair for more than 30 years. He said the assault has made life even more difficult for him. He is  paralyzed from his mid-chest down and the broken wrist makes it difficult to use his wheelchair.

In addition to assault, Tiger was charged with attempted kidnapping and assault by means likely to produce significant bodily injury.

Tiger was arrested in San Ramon, Calif., on Jan. 19. He has since posted bond.