Matthew Pocci, the deaf driver who plowed into a crowd of pedestrians during a 2014 Comic-Con “Zombie Walk” in San Diego, was found guilty of felony reckless driving resulting in serious injury on Wednesday.
At least two people were struck by Pocci’s black sedan on Saturday, July 26, when he drove through the revelers who were blocking the street.
A video posted on YouTube showed a man and a woman falling under Pocci’s car. The woman suffered severe injuries to her arm and leg.
Pocci kept going, stopping a few blocks away. His fiancee, her nine-year-old son and her sister were in the car at the time of the crash. However, Pocci pleaded not guilty, saying he was afraid for his life.
During the trial, Pocci testified through an interpreter that he was frightened by the pedestrians, many of whom were dressed as zombies.
“At first, it was confusing as to what’s going on… then it seemed like it was a parade – but it was zombie people,” he testified.
Pocci said he waited 10 to 15 minutes for the crowd to pass, but grew impatient. He then honked his horn, which caused several people to surround the car.
“They were banging on the car and the windshield making the car rock,” he said. “I felt threatened, I felt scared. I felt I had an obligation, a responsibility to keep them safe,” Pocci explained, referring to his passengers.
He faces three years in prison, and will be sentenced on Dec. 11.