Disabled man attacked in Onehunga street assault, one charged

• A disabled man was assaulted outside a Four Square in Onehunga on Sunday evening.
• Police have charged a 24-year-old man, who will appear in Auckland District Court on April 4.
• The victim’s family is seeking witnesses, emphasising the emotional and physical impact on the victim.

A man is facing a violence charge after a disabled person was allegedly attacked on the footpath outside an Auckland shop.

The victim’s family are appealing for witnesses to the assault, which happened outside the Four Square in Onehunga on Sunday evening.

Police say they attended the incident and arrested a 24-year-old man. He is set to appear in the Auckland District Court on Friday, charged with injures with intent to injure.

The victim’s mother, Natasha Suaalii, told the Herald her 36-year-old son Mario Lemafa has an intellectual disability called Microcephaly, which means “he has the intellectual ability of a 12-year-old”.

Suaalii said Mario was walking towards the bus depot with the help of a friend when a car approached them.

“They [the people in the car] started yelling and swearing at him, saying they were going to give him a hiding.”

Suaalii said one of the men in the car said, “Do you remember me?” to her son.

Mario then ran to the Four Square for safety and his friend ran away in a different direction to call for help, Suaalii said.

“The men were yelling at him from outside the Four Square and they dragged him out.”

Suaalii said her son was punched and kicked in the head and suffered a broken nose from the attack.

Mario’s “friend rang crying ‘Someone go save Mario’,” Suaalii said.

A serious assault against a disabled man broke out in front of the Four Square in Onehunga on Sunday evening. Photo / Google Maps

Suaalii said Mario’s older brother arrived shortly after the assault and “his heart melted, his older brother saw blood all over, it broke my heart.”

She said Mario “won’t leave the house, he’s so scared but he deserves to be outside”.

“I just want him a part of life and the community, you try so hard and then people do this.”

Suaalii said Mario often stares at people and they might get the wrong idea, but says that is no reason to assault someone.

The Four Square store manager told the Herald he witnessed the assault, which appeared to involve three people.

“I saw the scrap outside, I think people may have followed him there.”

A social media plea by the victim’s sister said, “We feel hopeless, justice needs to be served so please I beg anyone who has info to contact me”.

“He cannot speak clearly, he stutters, so would have had trouble calling for help.”

Suaalii said in a comment, “As the mother of Mario, Mario is non-threatening he can’t hurt a fly but today he was beaten down. He is physically hurt but more so scarred emotionally and mentally traumatised.

A witness to the assault commented, “I was driving behind the car those guys were in, saw it unfold in front of me”.

“There were a lot of people that would have seen it happen. I saw them all watching as I drove by.”

Hato Hone St John said they were notified of the incident at 4.47 pm on Sunday and took one patient to Middlemore Hospital “in a moderate condition”.

The store evening manager confirmed calling emergency services straight away and provided video footage to the police

Foodstuffs head of external communication said the matter was in the hands of the police and did not wish to comment further.

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.