Glen Eden fatal hit and run: Man and nurses performed CPR in failed bid to save victim’s life

A Glen Eden resident has described his desperate efforts to save the life of the victim of a hit-and-run in West Auckland this afternoon, saying he frantically performed CPR on the man before a doctor arrived.

The man died in a car park, police said, following the incident that was reportedly sparked by an earlier altercation.

Witnesses described the terrifying moment the driver of a black Holden allegedly hit a pedestrian in the car park in the west Auckland suburb - before fleeing the scene and waving a handgun at a woman who attempted to follow him.

Armed police descended on the area surrounding Glenmall Place just after midday, cordoning off nearby streets as ambulances and fire trucks responded to the incident.

Police gathered near a white Ford SUV inside the cordon where a tent was put up above a person who lay obscured by a white sheet.

Police erected a tent above a vehicle after a man was killed in a hit-and-run incident after an altercation in Glen Eden.

A hunt is underway to track down the vehicle involved.

Detective inspector Tim Williams said inquiries were still in the very early stages of establishing what exactly occurred.

Local man Marc Rainbow rushed to the victim after being told about what had happened and then seeing them lying on the ground.

“It’s all a bit surreal. I just did what I did.”

Rainbow spent “about four or five” minutes performing CPR and chest compressions.

Nurses hurried from the nearby Westview Medical Centre to come to the victim’s aid, Rainbow said.

Armed police and the serious crash unit responded to the serious incident in a Glen Eden carpark where a man was killed. Photo / Michael Craig

“It felt as if I was doing the chest compressions forever. I had to get the nurses to come in and take over a couple of times,” Rainbow said.

He continued his heroic response until a doctor arrived.

Rainbow told the Herald graphic details of what he saw as he realised his efforts had been in vain.

“I was in a bit of shock when the doctor ... [told me to] stop.”

Rainbow praised the woman who gave chase to the driver and the wider community for the support it provided following the hit-and-run.

“I was just at the door and my manager said ‘Marc there’s been an accident. I looked over and there [they were] lying on the corner.

Police cordoned off the Glenmall shopping street in Glen Eden, West Auckland after an altercation in a carpark. Photo / Supplied

“I ran over and the community started to gather.”

Rainbow said the tight-knit community in Glen Eden surrounding Glenmall Place would have a sober feeling over the next few days.

“It’s a very strong community [here], attended by locals every day. Although the area has a bad reputation, the community is really tight - we’re Glen Eden people, we’re ‘Westies’.”

He said bystanders sprung into action to support the grieving family, direct traffic to clear a path for emergency services and stop people looking at the scene.

“The hero in this thing - nothing to do with me - it’s the lady that gave chase.”

Rainbow said a woman followed the Holden, recording the licence plate, determined to stay on his tail all the while relaying movements to police.

Woman gives chase as driver fled scene, brandished handgun

One witness told the Herald the driver pulled out a handgun and held it out a car window while fleeing from the scene.

Kat McCormick was pulling out of a car park with her daughter when she saw a man in a black Holden pull a hand-brake turn near the Glenmall intersection.

Armed police respond to a serious incident in a Glen Eden carpark where a man has been killed. Photo / Michael Craig

“We knew he was gone,” she said.

“He flew into his windshield ... It killed him.”

She then recorded the man’s licence plate and followed his car when he did not stop.

The driver then waved a handgun out the window, and sped away.

“He pulled it out the side of his door.”

The firearm was a black handgun, McCormick said.

The driver of the Holden was described as a young white man in his early 20s.

He had a woman passenger with reddish copper hair, she said.

Driver ‘purposefully’ turned and hit pedestrian

Garrett Raven-Wells from the bookshop said he saw someone being hit by a car across the road.

“The person was just in the middle of the road. The car driver purposefully turned around and struck him down.”

About half an hour after the crash, the police Eagle helicopter could be seen hovering over Glendene and Henderson further west.

Police respond to an altercation in Glen Eden where a man is believed to have been killed in a hit-and-run. Photo / Michael Craig

A man who was in the Glen Eden library near the scene of the fatal hit-and-run said he saw an altercation in the library before the incident.

Toby O’Donnell said he saw a man and a woman fighting just before the hit-and-run.

“They were yelling and screaming at each other.”

Armed police remain at the cordon as crying witnesses console each other at the edge of the cordon.

Glendale Rd is blocked between West Coast Rd & Oates Rd, due to a police incident. The 154 & 172 will need to detour via Oates, Wilson & Bowers Road until further notice.
Stops missed: 5287, 5429. pic.twitter.com/Eix5NN16ol

— Auckland Transport Travel Alerts (@AT_TravelAlerts) November 23, 2022

A bakery worker said he did not see anything but a customer came into his shop and told him there was a fight happening around the corner.

“Then I heard an accident happened. There’s police and ambulance outside.”

Another local worker told the Herald they saw a car race through a red light from Glendale Rd to West Coast Rd after the incident.