Accused Zombie Walk Driver to Stand Trial

A man who allegedly bulldozed into a crowd of pedestrians during the “Zombie Walk” at Comic-Con will stand trial for his actions.

A judge ruled Matthew Pocci, 48, will stand trial on charges of reckless driving in connection with the July 26, 2014 crash near the San Diego Convention Center.

Pocci, who is deaf, argues that he was afraid of a crowd of people gathered for the parade at 2nd and Island Avenues. He said his passengers, including a child, were scared of the crowd.

He also signed using ASL that the crowd was out of control and pounded on his car, trying to get inside his car.

However, prosecutors presented a frame-by-frame sequence of events using witness video. They argued the defendant simply became “fed up” with waiting for the road to clear.

On Thursday, a senior detective with San Diego Police Department testified the video proves the crowd did not react the way Pocci described until after Pocci pressed on the car’s accelerator and moved through the crowd.

Outside of court, Pocci’s attorney said the video does not show how terrified those in Pocci’s car were and their state of mind.

The next hearing was scheduled for June 24.

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