Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said police responded to a road rage incident about 8.15am, when a man in a cream-coloured ute overtook a Coupland’s truck travelling north and pulled the finger at him.
He then got out, assaulted the truck driver through the window then went back to his ute to get a stick to hit the truck driver with.
He then threw a car jack at the truck’s front windscreen, smashing it.
After the assault, he reversed into the truck, damaging the front with his tow ball before driving off.
Snr Sgt Bond said police had not located the suspect, but were following strong lines of inquiry.
The ute driver had a different version of events and told the Otago Daily Times he was concerned for the truck driver’s welfare after watching him swerve across lanes.
The ute driver alleged he got out of his car to ‘‘have a discussion’’ with the man, but the truck driver became abusive.
He alleged he took out a police-issue telescopic baton he got from an Invercargill dairy for self-defence.
The ute driver said the truck driver got hold of it and started hitting him.
Video footage, which he declined to share, would prove his version of events, he said.
A police spokesman confirmed yesterday afternoon the ute driver had not spoken to police or shown them his video footage.
Police were seeking the man, the spokesman said.
- Police 105, No2311213534.
