A woman whose harrowing ordeal is the subject of an email doing the rounds in the Western Bay has come forward confirming a can of beer was thrown at her car, "so hard it was like a missile".
The story has emerged as local police hunt for the person responsible for throwing a partially full beer bottle at Papamoa grandmother Mary Loader, leaving the 65-year-old with horrific facial injuries.
The woman featuring in the email, who wished to to be known only as Robyn, was driving a friend home on Grange Rd in Otumoetai about 12.45am on March 28 when a car overtook her vehicle at speed, throwing something at her car as it passed.
"All we felt was the thump, thump, thump on the car," Robyn said.
"I was doing 50km/h and he overtook me at the greatest of speed."
The car forced an oncoming vehicle on to the grass verge, she said. Robyn carried on along the residential street until she noticed a car, which she believes was the same vehicle, pulled to the side of the road with its lights off.
Standing nearby was a man who hurled a can of drink, possibly beer, at her car, breaking the black frame around the vehicle's passenger window.
"We're very lucky, if the can had come through the window, it would have hit her [Robyn's friend] in the head," she said.
"It was thrown with absolute force.
"I think that had we stopped, we may have been attacked.
"It's just very sad that people can't go out at night."
After driving into a cul-de-sac to compose herself, Robyn dropped her friend off and returned home, where she called police to report the attack.
When she checked her vehicle, Robyn found the broken frame around the window and chips in the paint which she had since had to claim insurance to fix.
There was liquid spilled on the car - Robyn said the liquid smelled like alcohol.
Robyn was unable to provide police with a description of the vehicle, other than it being a navy or black sedan. She also did not get the vehicle's registration number.
Tauranga Police Senior Sergeant Ross Bielby confirmed the incident had been reported to police but said without a registration number or description of the vehicle, it was difficult to find those responsible.
Robyn was unsure who wrote and circulated the email outlining the incident as a warning to women not to stop should a similar attack happen to them.
She said the section of the email which referred to police telling her that throwing beer cans at cars was part of a new way gangs were initiating members was incorrect.
Bay of Plenty Times
