22 Jan 2024

Elderly driver allegedly cuts off pedestrian, punches cyclist

12:12 pm on 22 January 2024

By Laine Priestley of Otago Daily Times

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File photo. Photo: 123RF

A Dunedin motorist did not take too kindly to a cyclist squirting him with water after teaching him a lesson about his driving.

Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said police were called to North Rd at 9.30am on Saturday after an argument on the road escalated into an assault.

A cyclist, 42, witnessed a driver cut off an elderly pedestrian which prompted him to "tell the driver off".

The driver, a 79-year-old man, then became verbally aggressive following the telling off, which prompted the cyclist to squirt water at the driver while he was still in the car.

The driver then got out of his vehicle and punched the cyclist.

Police were called and spoke to both men.

The cyclist admitted he should not have squirted water at the 79-year-old, Bond said.

Inquiries are ongoing as police were seeking witnesses and CCTV footage.

Later on in the day, police attended a second road assault in George St.

Bond said a man, 28, "wanted" to get into fight with a delivery driver on a bike.

The man started assaulting the delivery driver for no apparent reason and knocked over his bike.

Both the man and the delivery driver threw punches at one another, and during the altercation the 28-year-old put the driver into a headlock and strangled him for some time.

The 28-year-old took off and was later located by police in Bond St threatening somebody over the phone.

The man was arrested and charged with assault and intent to injure.

He will appear in Dunedin District Court on Thursday.

- This story was first published by the Otago Daily Times