Hit-and-run driver in Castro Valley deliberately hits homeless woman on way to church
Castro Valley - New details are surfacing about a hit-and-run in Alameda County that sent an older homeless woman to the hospital.
Surveillance video showed a man deliberately hitting the woman with his car.
The attack happened in the parking lot shared by a church and a supermarket on Grove Way in Castro Valley.
Church employees said they've never seen the driver before and they're shocked by what happened.
Surveillance video showed the driver of a white Nissan Sentra nearly backing into the woman with a shopping cart in the parking lot.
They exchanged words.
Moments later, he circled around, sideswiped her, and knocked her cane out of her hand.
Then he drove around again, stopped briefly, backed up and rear ended a parked car.
Finally, he appeared to use his car to deliberately hit the woman, causing her to go up the hood and falling to the ground.
The driver took off.
"It happened way over there. She ended up over here - that's like 30 feet away," said Aaron Horner, director of community outreach with First Presbyterian Church.
He said he witnessed the attack when it happened Saturday shortly before 7:30pm,"Like a car revving, vrroom, vrroom, like he was trying to intimidate somebody."
He said the victim is a 77-year-old, hearing impaired homeless woman who attends the church and was walking there to eat a meal that the church serves nightly when she was attacked.
Alameda County Sheriff's Office Lt. Tya Modeste said the woman is lucky to be alive.
"Disgusting. Someone who is lawless, someone who does not have compassion or empathy for anyone else, disregard for life. We want to bring this person to justice to have them be held accountable for it," said Modeste.
The church's program manager, Saundrea Mabrey, said she visited the woman in the hospital and that she was in good spirits despite a head laceration and bruises.
"I was stunned, the fact that it was intentional, that hurt," said Mabrey.
Horner said he has a message for the hit-and-run driver:, "Hope you get the help you need. Hurting other people is not it."
The video does not show the car's license plate.
Horner said the driver is in his late 20s or early 30s.
He wore a black and red jersey with flames on his sleeves with a Nike logo in the back.
He also had on black and red Jordan tennis shoes.
The Sheriff's Office said the driver faces charges including hit-and-run and vehicular assault .
Anyone with information should contact the Alameda County Sheriff's office.
The anonymous tipline is510-667-3622
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU