Caught on camera: Wheelchair-bound man dumped onto ground inside California Target after incident over handicapped parking spot

PLEASANT HILL, Calif. -- A man is speaking out about the attack inside a California Target store that left him with a broken wrist and emotional trauma. Video shows 52-year-old Phillip Kinstler dumped out of his wheelchair and onto the floor in a dispute over a handicapped parking spot.

San Ramon resident Jimmie Tiger, 32, is jailed on charges including assault and attempted kidnapping in the Jan. 11 incident.

Detectives say the incident began when the victim confronted the suspect's girlfriend in the Target parking lot for parking in a handicapped spot without a placard.

"So I just pointed to the sign and said, 'Could you please not park in handicapped parking?'" he said.



Kinstler says he then went into the store to return an item.

A short time later, Kinstler says the woman's husband came into the store, found him, and demanded Kinstler come outside and apologize to her.

When Kinstler declined, police say Tiger tried to forcibly wheel him out of the store. Kinstler resisted and Tiger is accused of lifting the wheelchair and dumping him onto the floor.

"He pushed me one way, he pushed me another way," he said. "First my wrist hit, the back of my watch hit the floor, and then I just toppled down like a rag doll all on top of my wrist."

Kinstler, who is paralyzed from the chest down, says he suffered a broken wrist and other injuries.

Witnesses got a partial license plate and police arrested Tiger.


According to Sgt. Ron Priebe, Tiger was charged with, "Attempted kidnap for moving him without permission or without his consent, assault, as well as a special enhancement for the assault charge due to the injury sustained."

The broken wrist is not only painful, it has left Kinstler unable to engage in his favorite past time: playing the guitar.

Kinstler adds, "The thing that most hurts is that nobody did anything."