Four cars and a building were damaged at the Arrowhead Plaza on North Third Street Thursday afternoon when a Bismarck man hit the accelerator on his car instead of the brake. No one was injured.

Bismarck Police Lt. Dan Donlin said John Martin, 84, was waiting in the passenger seat of his car which was parked in the second row of the Arrowhead Plaza parking lot. He decided to pull the car up to a closer spot to pick up his wife, Ethel Martin, who was in the Plaza Hair Center.

"He hit the gas instead of the brake," Donlin said. "He hit one vehicle, which was pushed into a pile of bags of manure product. He then hit another car and bounced off it, hitting another car before striking the front of the Plaza Hair Center."

Donlin said $14,800 in total damage was done to the vehicles with another $200 in damage to the building and $100 to the bags of manure products.

"He was going to move the car up for me," Ethel Martin said. "He was trying to move the vehicle while sitting in the passenger seat."

Bill Fleck, owner of the Arrowhead Plaza buildings, said he was surprised the only damage done to the building was some chipped cement.

"I wasn't that worried about the building," Fleck said. "I knew right away that it wouldn't be an issue for my insurance and would be handled by the car insurance."

LaVonne Aull, of Bismarck, had parked her van in the front row of the Arrowhead Plaza parking lot while she shopped. She came out to find it damaged.

"I was pretty shocked," Aull said.

All four vehicles were towed and Martin was issued a citation and $70 fine for not taking proper care required to operate a motor vehicle.

(Reach reporter Katie Brown at 250-8225 or katie.brown@;bismarcktribune.com.)