A MARGARET River woman has recounted her shock at witnessing the assault and abduction of a 20-year-old man in the heart of town on Saturday night.
The man was attacked by balaclava-wearing men as he left a tattoo parlour on Ned Higgins Lane about 5.30pm.
It is understood the man was taking a break from being tattooed and had stepped out for a cigarette in the upstairs outdoor car park without a shirt.
The woman, who doesn’t want to be identified, came up the stairs and stumbled across the assault.
She initially believed was a staged fight.
After realising it was a crime, she took a photo with her phone and ran down the stairs to call police.
“I thought it was a prank,” she said.
“Until I noticed one guy was kicking him in the back and one of the guys yelled ‘Grab his wallet! Grab his keys!’”
She recognised the victim as a local man.
“I’ve seen him heaps of times before," she said.
“He walked up the stairs and then, from the underground carpark [across the other side of Ned Higgins Lane], three guys came running down – two with balaclavas and one without.
“The two with balaclavas had steel poles.
“Next minute, the guy is on the floor and they’re laying into him."
She said the attackers also kicked the victim in the bare back with heavy shoes on.
“He wasn’t moving. He was just laying there, not even defending himself," she said.
“It was a really scary thing to witness."
After phoning police, the witness went into the tattoo parlour to ask if the man had returned.
He hadn’t and she and one of the staff went upstairs to check, but the victim and the attackers had gone.
Busselton Detectives have reported that four attackers assaulted the man, before bundling him into his own vehicle and driving four kilometres north of town to a secluded plantation.
The victim was again assaulted.
The offenders then drove off in a white 1999-2000 VT model Commodore sedan, taking the car keys to his silver Commodore sedan with them.
A passing motorist found him about 7pm that night near Bussell Hwy, suffering from significant injuries.
He was treated in hospital for broken bones in his ankles and hands, a broken nose and severe facial bruising.
A large amount of cash was stolen from his glove box.
Man hunt
One of the offenders is described as being a white male with short ginger hair, wearing board shorts or similar. The others were all wearing dark clothing and balaclavas.
Detective Senior Constable Rob Travers from Busselton Police has called for help from the public in tracking down the attackers.
“We ask that anyone who saw two cars contact police,” he said.
“The victim has left hospital, but is in quite a bit of pain after the savage attack.”
Anyone with information or who saw anything is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Busselton Detectives on 9754 9555.
