Elderly Woman Charged with Hitting Pedestrian in Walmart Parking Lot

An eighty-five-year-old Trion woman was charged after video footage showed her vehicle hitting a pedestrian in the parking lot of Walmart in Trion. 

According to a report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office, the pedestrian was walking into the store with her family and moved to the side to get out of the path of the vehicle driven by Mamie Hartline.  The sheriff’s department maintains that video footage from Walmart surveillance shows Hartline swerving toward the family and striking a young female with the mirror of her vehicle.  After striking the pedestrian, the footage shows Hartline’s vehicle slowing down, and words were exchanged between the victim’s family members.  Hartline then parked the car, went inside, and started grocery shopping.

The victim’s family reported the incident to Walmart security, which called the sheriff’s office.  When a deputy arrived, he tracked down Hartline, who was still grocery shopping.  While speaking with Hartline, she claimed the victim and her family were “in the middle of the road” and then just started yelling and cursing.  The deputy showed Hartline the video, and Hartline said, “Well, what if she reached out and slapped my mirror? I didn’t hit her”.

Hartline argued with deputies throughout the interview and never admitted to any wrongdoing.

The deputy said the video footage clearly shows Hartline swerving towards the family, which is the driver’s duty to yield to pedestrians. Mrs. Hartline then reportedly told the Walmart security employee, “Well, it’s not the first time I’ve hit a colored girl.”

The arresting deputy and a supervisor noted in their report that Hartline “either struck her intentionally or at the very least attempted to scare them and hit them in that process.”

Hartline was charged with simple battery and booked into the Chattooga County Jail.