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As rescuers tried desperately to save hit-and-run victim Joanne Wang her 8-year-old son told them about their day together and how there was a present for him in a shopping bag.
The harrowing scene was relayed in the Manukau District Court yesterday at a depositions hearing for the man police allege was the driver of the car that ran 39-year-old Mrs Wang down last June.
Christopher Jacob Junior Shadrock, 22, is charged with murdering Mrs Wang, and stealing her handbag that contained $4000. Six other men also face charges in relation to the incident.
Mrs Wang was returning to her car in the Westfield shopping centre in Manukau when police allege Shadrock snatched her handbag and tried to escape in a white 4WD - but was chased by Mrs Wang who grabbed on to the car's bonnet.
Sales assistant Janice Brown was driving into the carpark for an appointment when she saw a white 4WD reversing quickly towards her with Mrs Wang running after the car, yelling, with both hands on the bonnet.
Mrs Brown told the court Mrs Wang was yelling something but she couldn't hear what it was over the noise of her car radio.
"I could [only] see her facial expressions and her mouth," she said.
Fearing the 4WD would reverse into her, Mrs Brown sounded her horn and it stopped, but "almost immediately" began moving forward.
"The vehicle was still going forward and she still had her hands on the bonnet. She was running backwards ... it was only a short distance, maybe four runs backwards."
She said Mrs Wang never let go of the bonnet and was focused on the driver. "I could see her eyes - I could see her face the whole time."
Mrs Brown said she watched the 4WD's left front wheel run over Mrs Wang's right foot before it "took her down on the ground".
"She went backwards and hit her head on the ground. I saw the vehicle's front passenger wheel go up and over her left shoulder."
The vehicle kept moving and didn't alter its speed, she said.
When Ms Brown got to Mrs Wang she was rolling on the ground and moaning.
"She had actually rolled across the aisle more. At that point she was unconscious."
As she was covering Mrs Wang with a blanket to shield her from rain she saw Mrs Wang's 8-year-old son. "He came up to us and started telling us about his mum and how they had just been shopping.
"He said she had brought him something and it was in a plastic bag."
Four of the six co-accused are charged with being an accessory after the fact of murder.
Vila Lemanu, 24, Lionel Manaaki Tekanawa, 22, Mateni Lynch, 19, and Terence Tere allegedly moved the car that hit Mrs Wang two days after the incident and set it alight.
Maka Tuikolovatu, 20, and Dalton Harris, 22, are charged with the theft of Mrs Wang's handbag and money.
Tuikolovatu is also accused of trying to conceal the handbag.
The hearing will finish this week.
