Auckland Papakura ‘road rage’: Man pulled from car and stomped on at railway crossing

Auckland 20-year-old Raees Ali alleges he was brutally attacked in a road rage incident in Papakura on Friday. Photo / Supplied

An Auckland man is calling for help finding an alleged road rage attacker after saying he was pulled from his van, knocked out and stomped on.

Raees Ali lost teeth and suffered a fractured jawbone and severe facial bruising during the South Auckland incident on Friday afternoon.

Ali, 20, claimed the driver of a silver Toyota Land Cruiser Prado followed him for several streets after a merging dispute leading on to Beach Rd, Papakura.

The attack then allegedly took place at a nearby railway crossing.

Police confirmed to the Herald they had received a report of a serious assault on Opaheke Rd just before 6pm.

A police spokesperson said they were investigating and that one person had been seriously hurt.

Ali said he and his wife were severely shaken by the incident.

“I’ve lost my two front teeth... it’s very hard for me to talk,” Ali said.

“I’ve never had something like this happen to me ... it’s very, very upsetting and traumatising.”

Raees Ali says he's never had anything like Friday's attack happen to him before. Photo / Supplied

For Ali and his wife, who witnessed the violence from the passenger seat, the ordeal has shattered their sense of safety in a community they have lived in for years.

The confrontation began about 5pm as Ali was driving his company’s Toyota Hiace van home from work.

Navigating a merge lane, he said the Prado driver behind became agitated.

“He’s trying to race his way through traffic, trying to cut in front of me, but by the time he got up to where I was, I had already been in the singular lane,” Ali said.

Ali claimed the driver started swearing at them.

Later at the Opaheke Rd railway, the Prado came to a stop as the crossing barriers lowered for an approaching train.

Raees Ali says police found his teeth on the ground at the scene after going there to investigate. Photo / Supplied

Because Ali suffered a severe concussion during the assault, his memory of the violence relies on accounts provided by his wife and family.

He said he was told the driver got out of the Prado, approached the van and pulled him out of the driver’s seat.

“He opens the door, pulls me out, punches me twice on my face, according to what my partner said,” Ali said.

Ali was allegedly knocked unconscious.

While he lay on the road, the man allegedly kicked his head and stomped on his face with steel-capped boots, according to his wife’s account.

The attacker also allegedly turned his attention toward Ali’s wife as she photographed his vehicle, but fled when he saw another motorist recording the scene.

The man then reportedly drove away.

Auckland 20-year-old Raees Ali alleges he was brutally attacked in a road rage incident in Papakura on Friday. Photo / Supplied

Ali eventually made it home before his father drove him to seek medical care.

Scans at Middlemore Hospital confirmed tissue and nerve damage to his right eye socket, along with a fractured jawbone.

At the hospital, he was missing two teeth, with Ali saying medics were worried he had swallowed them.

However, police reportedly found the teeth at the scene the next day.

Photographs shared by Ali showed dark swelling that had completely closed his right eye.

His swollen lips and missing teeth could also be seen.

The attack was just as scary for his wife, Ali said.

“She couldn’t stop crying all night, and she still is crying right next to me,” Ali said.

Ali said police informed his family the Prado was registered to someone other than the suspected attacker, however, officers were actively looking for the man.

For now, Ali is off work, recovering at home and waiting for his facial swelling to subside so he can receive dental implants.