Man's horror at boyracer axe attack

The man drove his car onto the lawn before carrying out the axe attack. Photo / Supplied

A boyracer attacked an Auckland man's house with an axe after taking exception to the resident filming his street antics.

The terrified West Auckland man ran into his home to escape from the boyracer on Monday afternoon.

The axe's sharp blade sliced through his front door and missed his head by centimetres.

While he called for help, the attacker used the axe to smash a window next to the door.

The blade again narrowly missed the terrified householder, who was showered with glass. The attacker then smashed windows around the house.

Police yesterday charged a man with driving offences, threatening behaviour and assault charges. He will appear in the Waitakere District Court this week.

The resident believes he could have been targeted because boyracers saw him filming their antics last week.

"It's a sad state [of affairs] in a quiet neighbourhood," he told the Herald yesterday.

The incident had left him feeling unsafe and unable to sleep after listening to the threats the men made.

"They said they were going to kill me ... There were multiple threats. They had a hatchet and I had nothing."

He watched in shock as the man walked around the house smashing the windows. The homeowner has spent more than $3000 replacing them.

The problem began a little over a week ago when the same car was doing wheelies at the end of his street.

Marks were visible on the street yesterday and on the lawn where the car came to within three or four metres of the front door.

The man, who spoke on the condition he was not identified, said the attacker and another man with him were "stereotypical" boy racers, "right down to their baseball caps".

Another stunned resident took photographs as the attack unfolded.

"It [the boyracer's car] came into his property diagonally and the passenger got out. [The man] retreated very quickly into the house."

He watched as they "took to his house" with the axe. "I have no idea if they were on anything, but they broke 11 windows in his house."

He said he stopped taking photos when he became the target as one of the men demanded his camera.

CLAMPDOWN
* A law allowing boyracers' cars to be confiscated and crushed was passed in Parliament in 2009.
* In January this year, police said there had been a fall in the number of boyracer offences and fewer boyracers had been congregating on streets.
* Last year, the number of calls about boyracers peaked at 1023 in February, but nearly halved to 519 in October.
* The crackdown was triggered by an attack by boyracers on Christchurch police sergeant Nigel Armstrong, in January 2009. He was shot at and attacked when confronted by about 300 people.
* In July this year, a man on an invalid's benefit was left with seven broken ribs after he confronted boyracers who crashed their car near his home in Mangonui near Kaitaia.