Boy helpless as dad bashed in road rage

A boy screamed for a patched mobster to stop pummelling his father during a violent road rage incident in Hamilton.

Police are investigating the alleged roadside assault that unfolded in front of motorists on State Highway 1 at Horotiu yesterday morning.

The victim’s wife said her husband was spat at and then dragged from the car before being punched in the face up to 10 times.

‘‘It was done in front of my son, he’s 10 - he was dragged from the car while my son was yelling for him to stop,’’ the wife said.

‘‘He was hitting straight at his face.’’

The incident unfolded after a minor collision.

The victim said the mobster stopped his car suddenly in front of him after clipping his car during a failed overtaking manoeuvre.

‘‘He got out and walked up to the window and said what are you doing and spat at me through the window,’’ the man said. ‘‘I objected to that immensely.’’ Moments after, a punch came through the half-open window.

‘‘He just lined me up and he was away.

"There wasn't half a dozen words spoken before he punched me." Victim of alleged assault

him in the car, It was bang, bang, bang through the window there wasn’t half a dozen words spoken before he punched me.’’ The man was pulled from the car. ‘‘I tried to stop him from hitting me and the road was wet so I slipped over. Then he walked back to the car and drove away.’’

The man ended up with a couple of grazes on his side and cuts to his head with bruising to his face.

‘‘It’s just extremely disappointing - my son was there and that’s concerning.’’

Seeing her husband arrive home bloodied with an upset son had angered the man’s wife.

‘‘My son is quite shaken up. He watched his dad be beaten up by someone like that.’’

Their other children also had to see their father arrive home bloodied.

‘‘You should be able to carry on about your day without worrying about being assaulted. This is not good enough, we have young kids.’’

A witness, who did not want to be named, said she saw a black truck being driven by a Mongrel Mob member attempt to overtake a green Hilux coming off the roundabout, but there was no room.

When the black SUV attempted to move back into the stream of traffic he clipped the Hilux.

Both drivers pulled over to the right side of the road when the altercation ignited, she said.

‘‘The mob member in the black truck put his head out of the window and started swearing his head off,’’ she said.

‘‘Then he hopped out of the car, that’s when I saw his Mongrel Mob vest. He walked over to the Hilux and just started pummelling him. Didn’t even give him a chance to talk.

‘‘It was the mob guy’s fault. He was angry, but it was his fault. It was scary.’’ The witness then phoned police. Waikato police Senior Sergeant Pete van de Wetering confirmed police had received a complaint of an assault.

The victim - a Waikato man - called police from his home to report that he had been attacked by the driver of a car following a traffic altercation.

‘‘There has been a significant assault near Horotiu as a result of a road rage incident, that occurred,’’ van de Wetering said.