By Sharon Bernstein
(Reuters) -A North Carolina man who ran an SUV into six migrant workers in a Walmart parking lot and then fled the scene has turned himself in to authorities, saying he hit the accelerator by accident before striking people, police said.
David Gonzalez, 68, of Hickory, North Carolina, surrendered on Monday at the Lincolnton police station, where he came with several family members, the department said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Lincolnton police on Monday said they were searching for the SUV’s driver, whom they suspected of intentionally ramming the workers, all of whom were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries including broken bones and concussions.
But later on Monday evening, police said Gonzalez, who was booked on felony hit and run and released on $50,000 bond, was cooperating with their investigation.
His family members recounted that Gonzalez told them he had been involved in an accident, caused when he unintentionally hit the gas while attempting to park at Walmart, police said.
The incident took place on Sunday afternoon in Lincolnton, a town of about 11,000 people, some 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Charlotte, the police statement on Facebook said.
(Reporting by Sharon BernsteinEditing by Bill Berkrot and Deepa Babington)