Photo: courtesy of Corona Police Department
A vehicle crashed into the produce section of a Corona Walmart Sunday, April 15. The driver was cited for suspicion of driving under the influence. (Courtesy Corona Police Department)

By Anthony Saude

Corona– A Riverside woman crashed her sedan through the glass door and into the produce section of a Corona Neighborhood Walmart on an otherwise uneventful Sunday evening in April.

The woman who was later identified as Diane Mickens, 56, of Riverside, drove through the entrance of the store in the 1500 block of W. Sixth Street around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, April 15, Corona police officials said.

A Walmart employee called 911 after the vehicle came to a rest approximately 25 feet into the produce section. Witnesses say, Mickens got out of the sedan, walked away from the scene and left her two passengers engulfed bin debris and scattered fruits and vegetables.

Officers found Mickens a little later walking near Smith Street and Pleasant View Avenue, she was detained. When the Paramedics showed up at the scene they determined Mickens needed  medical attention. She was transported to a local hospital where she was issued a citation for suspicion of driving under the influence.

She was the only one hurt in the crash.

Many people enquired about the reason the woman wasn’t being held in jail.

“If a person in police custody is treated at a medical facility, the taxpayers end up paying for the cost of that treatment,” A Corona police representative explained on Facebook. Just issuing a citation has no impact on the charges the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office may file later date.

It’s standard operating procedure for the department to issue a citation when a suspect requires medical treatment.