'I'll never forget his smile'

Angela Vili, her son Andy 5, kitten Cookie and Husband Andy Vili outside the house where a man was violently attacked this week. Photo / Herald on Sunday

A good samaritan has told of her desperate efforts to save a man left brain damaged by a "brutal" beating, apparently in a dispute over a house sale.

Angela Vili raced to help Aran Jenkanying after spotting him staggering along the roadside as she drove home on Wednesday morning.

Aran, 56, was one of two people beaten with a carved piece of wood, similar to a walking stick, at a house in South Auckland.

He was beaten so badly he suffered brain damage and his life-support machine was switched off on Thursday.

The other victim was his 57-year-old sister Arunee who is expected to recover.

The prime suspect is Arunee's stepson Patrick Young. The attack was reportedly triggered by a dispute over a house owned by Arunee and Young's late father.

Detective Senior Sergeant David Glossop said yesterday that police would search the homes of Young's family, friends and associates and charge anyone caught harbouring him.

"It's a manhunt. It's going to be relentless. We will keep going until we find him."

Glossop said there were concerns Young would do something "desperate" to avoid capture, but would not elaborate.

"Desperate people do desperate things."

In an exclusive interview, Vili said she saw Arun about 9.20am as she was driving with her 5-year-old son Andy.

When they neared their home the 30-year-old receptionist saw Arun bloodied and staggering. She jumped from the car after telling Andy not to be scared.

"There was blood everywhere, so much blood you could wring his clothes of it ... it was just dripping off him."

She said the man was trying to grip his glasses so he could see the digits on his blood-soaked cellphone.

Vili fetched a towel from the car to hold it to a large gash on his forehead and called 111 on her phone.

She told the man to sit down and reassured him help was coming. The man could only smile in gratitude, Vili said.

Moments later a woman, bloodied from the nose down, pulled up in a car.

Vili said she asked what happened and the woman told her: "We fought. It's my house, not his house."

Vili said police and an ambulance were coming. The woman put the man in her car but Vili was concerned he wouldn't get to hospital soon enough.

She chased them up the road and forced the woman to stop and wait for the ambulance.

Vili got the man out of the car and made him sit down until police and ambulance staff arrived.

She later found out another neighbour had seen the drama unfolding but was too scared to help.

Vili said it was the most horrific scene she had seen in her life but she was glad she had helped because it was "what anyone should've done".

"I'll never forget that man's beautiful smile."

Her son was "shaken up" for a while and her husband Andy Mika was proud of her.

Glossop heaped praise on Vili who he described as a "good Samaritan".