The man behind the wheel in the crash at San Diego's "Zombie Walk" during Comic-Con has filed a claim against the San Diego Police Department and Chief Shelley Zimmerman.
A woman was injured when Matthew Pocci drove his car into a crowd gathered at 2nd and Island avenues in July 26.
Pocci has said he feared for the safety of his family and was confused by the crowd of people gathered for the "Zombie Walk," an event that takes place near Comic-Con but is not part of the official convention.
Pocci, who is deaf, did an interview with a news website that focuses on news for the hearing impaired community.
Using American Sign Language, he explained that when he honked his horn and moved slowly, one man punched his front window and another person opened a back door.
"That’s when I plowed my car through the crowd. I had to do this to save my family," the report quotes him as saying. "Once they broke my front window and the car door opened, I had to move my car quickly."
The 64-year-old woman struck by Pocci's car was treated for an injury to her arm.
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In the claim filed by San Diego Attorney Dan Gilleon, Pocci said the organizers did not file a permit for the event. Because of this, Pocci claims "SDPD caused and created a confusing and misleading situation for motorists."
It includes a picture posted by the SDPD's official Twitter account showing Chief Zimmerman posing with zombies on the day of the incident with the caption: "Chief Zimmerman making sure the Zombies follow ALL the rules at #ComicCon2014."
Pocci wants to find a solution to the incident, he explained to NBC 7 Thursday.
"I don't want this to ever happen again to any individual. I'm not thinking about suing for money. I'm not trying to get rich," he signed. "The situation was dangerous and I think the situation should be taken care of." ASL interpreter Keturah Holiday helped in the interview.
A San Diego Police spokesperson told NBC 7, "The case has been submitted to the DA for prosecutorial review and the City Attorney handles cases involving civil litigation."
NBC 7 heard from several witnesses to the crash who said Pocci floored his car and his tires squealed seconds before impact.
"The only reason he was surrounded by a crowd who was angry was because he was pushing his car through a crowd that was trying to watch the parade," said witness Sean Foley.
According to the Twitter page for the SDZombieWalk, participants of the event had nothing to do with the incident. Organizers released another video that the group said shows "no zombies touching the car that we can see."
