Man brutally attacked in Whangārei two months after moving to the city

Kamo Rd and Dinniss Ave intersection. Scene of a daylight assault. Photo / Tania Whyte

"I now cannot look a stranger in the eye, thinking they might attack me."

That's the fear of a newly-arrived Whangārei man who is still recovering from a violent attack last month.

Arun*, 27, is still shaken after the frightening incident where four people forced themselves into his car, pinning him down on the driver's seat while punching him, on Kamo Rd on October 16, just two months after his move to Whangārei.

He says every time he sees a group of people, he starts to panic.

"I am trying to go back to the normal routine, but there is always a fear in the back of my mind."

Arun said he was driving back to his home around 2 pm when he saw two people (a boy and a girl) sitting on the power transformer box near the Dinniss Ave/Kamo Rd intersection. After parking his car, just outside his house, he saw two more males walking towards him.

He felt a bit suspicious but continued to collect his stuff to leave the car.

One of the boys asked him if he wanted to buy drugs, to which Arun "politely" declined.

"They left and met with the other two people seated on the transformer box."

Within seconds, before he could get a sense of anything, the group of four barged into his car.

"My seatbelt was still on and they blocked it, so I couldn't really do anything to move.

"The girl and other two guys started searching my car for anything to steal. The guy who was sitting on the passenger seat started punching me recklessly.

"They were saying something while beating me, but I was so panicked that I could not grasp anything.

"I did not know what to do because something like this never happened, nor did I ever imagine anything like this."

Arun cried for help and tried "everything in his power" to escape from the car, and after a few minutes of the scuffle, he managed to leave with his keys and phone. But the attackers got hold of his wallet.

However, as soon as he got out of the car, the group shut the door, tried to turn on the engine but were unsuccessful as Arun had the keys. However, they damaged the car.

Meanwhile, Arun was still screaming for help and ran towards Kamo Rd, where one of the males followed him and attacked him again.

"Luckily a car was passing by when they saw me and started driving towards us. By the time they could get to me, these guys had run away.

"After the incident, my eyes were really sore and I suffered a severe headache for many days."

Arun said before moving to Whangārei, he had never been afraid.

"Before, I would go walking, greet and smile at people on the way. However, now I cannot see a stranger in the eye, especially teenagers.

"Maybe they thought I was an easy target and attacked me, I really can't tell."

Whangārei Police detective Shawn Parker said they had arrested a 24-year-old male and charged him in relation to the aggravated robbery.

He was due to appear in the Whangārei District Court this week.

* Names have been changed to protect the family's privacy.