KEY POINTS
- The man punched the woman in the head and broke her nose, a Melbourne police officer alleges
- The man allegedly taunted the woman over her appearance and threatened to continue attacking her
- Police released CCTV footage of a vehicle leaving the scene as they seek help in identifying and collaring the attacker
A 25-year-old woman with a broken leg was attacked, threatened and had her nose broken by a male driver in a Wednesday road rage incident in Melbourne, Australia, that local police described as “vicious.”
Police said the victim, who was not named, was driving along Oravel Street in the Melbourne suburb of Balwyn North at around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when the incident happened, Australia’s ABC reported.
The woman was unfamiliar with the area so she was driving slowly, according to acting Sergeant Gary Tivendale.
At one point, the driver of the car behind the woman’s vehicle began tailgating the victim’s car and sounding his horn a number of times, the police officer said.
The unidentified man then pulled in front of her vehicle and abruptly braked several times, according to the officer.
The woman eventually pulled over on Arama Street, where the man approached her car and allegedly started to verbally abuse her. She waited for the suspect to return to his car before getting out of her vehicle using her crutches, 9News reported.
As she exited her car, the other driver returned and allegedly began physically attacking her.
The man allegedly punched the woman “four or five times” and broke her nose, Tivendale said. He allegedly knocked her to the ground with a punch, which also knocked her glasses off her head.
The woman had a broken leg but tried to crawl away from her attacker.
“He then walked around her, taunting her for several minutes as she crawled on the ground trying to get away,” Tivendale was quoted as saying by ABC.
The male driver allegedly taunted the woman over her appearance and her driving.
The suspect also allegedly threatened to return and “really show her what he could do,” the officer was quoted as saying by 9News.
The victim’s mother, who had been following her daughter in her own car, took the victim to the hospital, where she was treated for a broken nose.
Tivendale described the assault as “particularly vicious” and said it was “one of the worst” road rage attacks that he has ever heard about.
Police are now looking for the attacker, who was last seen driving off along Arama Street, turning east along Wandeen Street.
The suspect is described as someone with a Southern European appearance, appears to be in his early 20s, and is about 175 centimeters (5 feet and 9 inches) tall. Police believe he may be local or familiar with the area.
Authorities were able to secure CCTV footage of a vehicle leaving the scene and released it to the public in the hope that it will help them with their investigation of the case.
Officers are urging witnesses or anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage of the incident to come forward and speak with them.