An Auckland family is "traumatised" after their car was smashed in an alleged road rage incident by a man with a Tongan flag flying out the back of his car on Sunday evening.
South Auckland resident Karl told Newshub his car was attacked at the corner of Cavendish Drive and Great South Road in Papatoetoe at 6:30pm on Sunday.
Karl said the road rage incident started at the Lambie Road traffic lights on Cavendish Drive and concluded at the corner of Great South Rd.
He said a car was weaving in and out of lanes behind him for about half a kilometre before the driver started tailgating him.
"If I altered my speed, he would have rammed me," Karl said.
"He then came up beside me and parked at the lights, got out and attacked the car."
Karl said the man tried the door handle, but it was locked, before attempting to smash the side window - where his wife was sitting in the passenger seat - with a beer bottle.
He then kicked the door before proceeding to smash the windscreen with his hand, the south Auckland resident said.
Karl said he and his wife couldn't "believe it" and was "totally shocked" by the road rage attack.
"I managed to eventually drive over the median strip to get away [and I] didn't even know if cars were coming the other way."
Karl said he immediately drove to the local police station to file a report.
Police told Newshub they received a report of a wilful damage incident that occurred near Cavendish Drive and Great South Road in Papatoetoe at around 6:35pm on Sunday.
"It was initially reported after parties had separated," a police spokesperson said.
Police said they're assessing the report and have made no arrests yet.
Karl told Newshub he got the windscreen fixed on Monday, which cost him about $400 and isn't sure if he'll need to get the passenger window fixed.
He said the incident, which happened the day before Tonga lost to Samoa in the Rugby League World Cup quarter-finals, left him and his wife "traumatised" and "very shaken up".
Karl told Newshub he hasn't "gotten over" the incident and has struggled to sleep.
He said it scares him to think what could've happened to his wife if the man had managed to break the passenger window.
The incident comes after police had to disperse a large crowd in south Auckland after rugby league fans started letting off fireworks and were standing on roofs and bonnets of moving vehicles.
A Newshub camera operator said around 1000 people were present at the gathering in the Māngere town centre.
A day later, fans again descended on the town centres in Māngere and Ōtara where footy fans lit fireworks and tooted their horns.
