Man charged with murder for running elderly woman over with stolen forklift

Gloristine Pinkney, 73, was napping inside her vehicle when she was ambushed

A Maryland man reportedly stole a forklift from a Lowe’s store that he then allegedly used to ram into a woman who was napping in the parking lot of a nearby Home Depot.

Bryce Caleb Timothy Brown, 20, has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, assault and theft, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Law enforcement first responded to a burglary and theft in progress at a Lowe’s Home Improvement Store in Waldorf around 12.40am on Sunday.

Mr Brown allegedly broke into the closed store, stole a forklift and rammed it through the rear gates. He left the store’s premises on the forklift and entered the parking lot of a neighbouring Home Depot, where he then ran into a parked vehicle, police said.

Seventy-three-year-old Gloristine Pinkney, who was napping inside the car, got out of the vehicle and began running away across the parking lot. The suspect allegedly followed her and struck her, before stealing her car and fleeing the scene.

Pinkney’s body was found underneath the forklift when authorities arrived at the scene.

The sheriff’s office said they don’t believe Pinkney and Mr Brown knew each other.

Bryce Caleb Timothy Brown, 20, has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, assault and theft (Charles County Sheriff’s Office )

“This is absolutely a tragic story, it’s bizarre. We don’t know why the suspect did this, we’re still trying to figure that out,” a spokesperson for the Charles County Sheriff’s Office told NBC News. “The victim wasn’t doing anything but sleeping in her vehicle ... this appears to be a random attack, and again, for reasons that are not clear.”

Mr Brown was arrested on Sunday evening after Pinkney’s vehicle was found near the suspect’s property.

He is currently being held at the Charles County Detention Center without bond.