A man pushed an elderly driver to the ground outside a Winona store, causing the victim to hit his head and suffer a fractured elbow, according to the complaint.
Timothy Peter Griswold faces a charge of third-degree assault for causing substantial bodily harm, according to a complaint filed October 19 in Winona County District Court.
According to the complaint, officers were dispatched at about 5:09 p.m. on Friday, September 11, 2026, to a store in Winona after a report of an assault. When officers arrived, they found the victim, an elderly man, being treated by Winona Rescue for a bleeding head wound. The victim told officers he had been driving when another vehicle began following him closely. The victim said he tapped his brakes to discourage the vehicle from tailgating.
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The complaint states the driver of the other vehicle pulled up next to the victim and made a rude gesture. The victim returned the gesture. The vehicle continued to follow the victim until the victim pulled into the store parking lot, believing the interaction was over.
As the victim walked toward the store, the driver of the other vehicle approached on foot and pushed the victim, causing him to fall backward and strike a truck. The victim began bleeding from his head and reported pain in his left elbow.
According to the complaint, the driver told the victim, “who’s giving the middle finger now,” before walking into the store. A store employee recorded video of the vehicle and provided officers with its make, model and license plate. Officers identified the vehicle’s owner as Timothy Peter Griswold.
A witness told officers she stood behind Griswold’s vehicle after the assault to prevent him from leaving. She said the vehicle backed up directly at her and would have intentionally hit her if she had not moved. Another witness told officers she saw the man push the victim and pointed out where the victim had fallen.
Officers observed blood on the pavement and on a truck in the parking lot, as well as a new dent on the truck’s rear bumper. The truck’s owner later provided a photo of what appeared to be the victim’s bloody hair stuck under the bumper.
Officers reviewed surveillance video from the store and videos from witnesses, identifying Griswold as the person who pushed the victim and caused him to fall and hit his head. Officers attempted to contact Griswold, but he did not respond until September 22. When reached, Griswold told officers, “sounds like not much at all,” and refused to discuss the situation further.
The complaint states the victim received medical care for his injuries, including a nondisplaced intra-articular olecranon fracture and a possible subtle nondisplaced radial head fracture. The victim was placed in a cast and continues to receive medical care for his fractured elbow.
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