KEY POINTS:
A 44-year-old man robbed and bashed by four teenagers was so angry that he chased them in his car and rammed their getaway vehicle - twice.
Following reports of damage to the victim's car, readers have flooded the Herald with offers of help. However, the man has refused
donations, asking that any money goes to a police cause instead.
The East Auckland man, who was yesterday nursing bruised ribs and a sore head, had just come out of New World Botany on Tuesday night when the teenagers approached him.
"I was going to my car and these guys came over and said, 'Give me your keys, give me your wallet'."
The man - who did not want to be identified for fear of retribution - ignored them and got into his Toyota.
But the youths dragged him out and attacked him, hitting him about the head.
"I put my hands around my face and had the keys in one hand and he [the main attacker] was just bang, bang, banging a hell of a lot of times."
It was only when a passing motorist - who police are now keen to find - yelled out that he was going to call the police that the youths hesitated.
Their victim leaped from the car and fled.
"I ran about 20m and a second guy said to me, 'Give us your keys and we'll leave you alone'.
"The first guy who was banging me on the head was rummaging through my car to see if he could get any valuables."
Taking their victim's wallet and groceries, the teens fled in a stolen green Subaru.
The injured man returned to his own car but, fuelled by rage and the desire for the youths to be caught, he headed after them and smashed into their getaway vehicle.
"I didn't want them to get away," he said. "Once I hit the car, it stuttered a bit and then I drove away."
The man headed for the nearest petrol station so he could ring the police, but came across the youths parked near another supermarket.
"They were parked up opposite Countdown, so I thought 'right' and then I just floored it and went in on the other side."
The second impact left the car undriveable.
The youths ran off down a grass bank, and the man drove to a petrol station and called the police.
Yesterday, he said a "stubborn attitude in life" prevented him handing over the keys - although he didn't expect to be attacked.
"I thought to myself after it, 'You could have driven off for your own safety', but then the police would never be able to find them.
"And I wanted them caught."
The man is now left facing a bill for repairs to his car - which the insurance company won't cover - but he still feels he did the right thing.
"It's just not my nature to let these bastards get away with it.
"Those sort of people would do it again and again and again. They are going to steal all the time and take people's wallets. I think they have got to be stopped right now."
Detective Sergeant Eddie Sutherland said all four teenagers were quickly caught with the help of the police dog unit.
Four 16-year-olds are facing charges.
Donations
The Herald has been flooded by calls and feedback from the public wanting to help the man pay for repairs to his car.
This morning he told the Herald he was grateful to everyone who had offered to help and he was hoping to take up an offer from a North Shore company.
He said anyone else wanting to make a donation could put it towards a "police cause".
"Thankyou very much. If they (still) want to make a donation they can make it to some police cause or something like that. The main thing that I would really be happy about is just to have my car back in a good order because that would please me and my wife."
The man said the police had arrived within about two minutes of being called and did a great job of catching all four youths after they ran off.
Along with thanking them he also wanted to thank the member of the public who shouted out that he was going to call the police while the teens were bashing him about the head.
"The person that drove past has helped me in a big way by letting me escape their stranglehold on me."
