A group of men who came to the rescue of a young woman who was being attacked by a carjacker, tackling the alleged offender and holding him down until police arrived, have been praised for their actions.
The woman suffered facial bruising and abrasions to her neck in the attack in the Auckland suburb of New Lynn about 9.30pm last night.
She was waiting in her car at traffic lights on the corner of Hugh Brown Rd and Great North Rd when a man she did not know came up to her and tried to open the door. She managed to drive off as the lights turned green.
However, when she pulled over a short distance away to phone police, the man came up to the car again and managed to open the door. He then assaulted the woman, punching her in the head and grabbing her by the throat.
The attack was spotted by a group of eight friends who were in a nearby internet cafe on Great North Rd. They heard the woman's screams and the sound of a car horn, and rushed outside to help.
When the alleged attacker saw them he ran away, police said.
The friends quickly organised themselves, with one staying with the young woman, while another followed the attacker and phoned police. Another of the group went back to the cafe to get the rest of their friends for "back-up", police said. They then chased the alleged attacker down and tackled him to the ground.
They held him there until police arrived.
A 22-year-old man was arrested and charged with assault with intent to rob. He was due to appear in Waitakere District Court today.
"These guys have done a fantastic job and we cannot praise them enough," Inspector Scott Webb, area commander of Waitakere Police, said.
"Because this matter is now before the courts we can't go into great detail, but there's no doubt that without the help of these men, this incident would have ended in a different way.
"The way they managed to co-ordinate themselves, call police, assist the victim and detain the offender was very impressive and we'll be looking at a way to formally recognise their efforts."
The attempted carjacking and assault was a "very frightening, random situation", Mr Webb said.
"I am sure the public will be reassured that the alleged offender has been arrested and put before the courts."
The woman was described as "incredibly shaken" by the incident, and was being supported by police and Victim Support.
She was taken to Waitakere Hospital for a check-up following the assault, and is now recovering at home with facial bruising, abrasions to her neck and a sore back.
- Patrice Dougan of NZME. News Service
