Witness describes horrifying assault
"I thought they were going to kill them." Witness to assault
A woman who saw a violent assault on a man and his 13-yearold son thought the attackers were going to kill them.
People were stunned and horrified when the pair were hauled from their car and beaten with baseball bats on Saturday about 3.15pm on Main St, Palmerston North.
The witness, who did not want to be named, said the attack was ’’so violent that nobody could approach’’.
‘‘I felt really helpless. I wanted to help but they were hitting the young man and the dog and it wasn’t safe.
‘‘I thought they were going to kill them.’’
Detective Sergeant Grayson Joines said a 38-year-old man and the 13-year-old were both treated at Palmerston North Hospital. Both have since been released but the boy was left with a broken arm.
The woman heard tooting and loud bangs from a nearby building and ran out to see two older men smashing a car.
The red car had ‘notorious’ written on the windscreen, she said.
Two other men started beating a dog, the boy and the man, she said. ‘‘I instantly called the police.’’
A motorist started tooting to try to get the men to stop, she said.
‘‘One lady was on the phone and trying to walk over and I was gesturing to her to stay back or she would get hurt.’’
As soon as the attackers sped off, bystanders rushed over to help the two injured people, she said.
‘‘All the people from shops came out on to the road and cleared up glass once the victims were being treated, and everyone was offering support to each other.’’
A second woman who witnessed the scene said she and her partner drove past the red car just after the attackers had left, with five children aged between 6 and 11 in their car. ‘‘We saw there was a guy with a substantial amount of blood on his face, and he looked kind of angry. He was trying to catch his dog.’’ People were already rushing to help, so they drove on, hoping to shield the children from what had happened. ‘‘The [children] wanted to stop and help. I haven’t told them what actually happened.’’.
A police spokesman said no arrests had been made and the offenders were yet to be identified.
People with information can call Central District police on 06 351 3781. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.