The search is on for a driver who was seen on surveillance video plowing into six people in Lincoln County Sunday afternoon.
Video and images from the Walmart parking lot in Lincolnton show six migrant workers being struck. The driver can be seen turning into a parking space and accelerating over a curb, hitting the workers.
The driver sped off after the incident.
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The Lincolnton police chief and witnesses said all six of the workers were hospitalized, some with broken bones, but they are expected to recover.
The chief said they don’t know whether the incident was a hate crime and they’re still trying to figure out the motive behind all this. Investigators said the workers had already gone into the Walmart when this happened afterward. Those workers have been spending long hours in fields picking blackberries in the recent 90-degree heat.
A number of migrant workers spoke with reporter Dave Faherty on Monday. Some said they are scared after what happened. One farm worker who had been in the Walmart earlier spoke with Faherty about the incident.
“It hurt, you know. It ain’t right — put it that way — whoever done it,” Thomas Chavez said. “People don’t realize how hard the people work. They went down there to get a few groceries for the week.”
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The vehicle that left the scene is an older model mid-sized black SUV with a luggage rack. The driver is described as an older white man.
The police chief said they are working with the Department of Motor Vehicles to identify the make and model of that vehicle.
In a statement to Channel 9, the FBI confirmed it is helping with the investigation.
“FBI Charlotte is assisting the Lincolnton Police Department with their investigation into a hit and run case that injured six people on July 30, 2023,” the agency said.
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