A 70-year-old driving test officer was allegedly punched by a Dunedin man who had just failed a driving test.
The 23-year-old man was in his car with the testing officer in the car park of Vehicle Testing New Zealand in Teviot St, Dunedin, when the alleged attack took place, about 12.45pm on Wednesday, police said.
A witness described the attack as ''horrifying''.
Acting Senior Sergeant Jared Kirk said the man had failed his restricted driver's licence test.
''It [the test] usually takes about 50 minutes.
''However, in the first five minutes there was a couple of errors which included him failing to give way to oncoming traffic,'' Acting Snr Sgt Kirk said.
''The instructor then stated to return to Teviot St and he [the alleged attacker] wasn't very happy and asked for another chance and was told he would need to book in for another test. He responded by allegedly punching him in the face three times.''
The attack was concerning, especially considering the age difference, Acting Snr Sgt Kirk said.
The witness said ''it was pretty nasty looking''.
''I just heard someone ... screaming into the car park and squealing brakes.''
The man then punched the testing officer before ''speeding off again'', the witness said.
''The person who was getting punched was substantially smaller than the person driving.''
The testing officer was shaken but did not appear to be seriously hurt.
Dunedin's testing officers are employed by New Zealand Driver Licensing Ltd, which is contracted by the New Zealand Transport Agency to deliver driving licensing testing.
NZ Driver Licensing Ltd general manager Gerard Clark said the testing officer left work after the incident, but returned the next day.
A 23-year-old Dunedin man will appear in the Dunedin District Court on Tuesday on a charge of assault.
