A Yarraville street artist felt certain he was going to die while being dragged 700 metres by a Jaguar driven by an “aggressive vigilante”.
Mik Shida, 27, was left physically and mentally battered by the ordeal – but driver Marcus Bartlett counters that he is the real victim.
Mr Shida painted a wall at the Yarraville Oval tennis courts without approval last Sunday, then drove away with his partner and another friend.
He told Star Weekly Mr Bartlett began tailgating their car despite them making multiple U-turns to evade him.
Mr Shida stopped at a red light at the corner of Somerville Road and Gamon Street, exited his car and leant into the Jaguar to confront the driver. He said Mr Bartlett grabbed his arm and accelerated for 700 metres along Somerville Road, driving for more than 40 seconds at speeds up to 60km/h.
Audio of the incident reveals Mr Bartlett demanding that Mr Shida let go, as an increasingly frantic Shida yells that he can’t and begs him to stop, telling him “you’re killing me”.
“Halfway through the drag, my mind went to the fact that I was going to die,” Mr Shida said.
He was rendered unconscious and taken by ambulance to Royal Melbourne Hospital suffering back injuries and multiple abrasions.
Mr Bartlett said he had been driving down Williamstown Road when he saw three people on the tennis court “looking a bit suss”.
He pulled up behind their car and photographed their number plate before following them while calling triple-0.
Mr Bartlett said Mr Shida approached his car and lunged in.
“Then I started driving off, thinking if I start moving he can’t keep up and he’s going to drop off,” he told 3AW.
“It was like the most frantic 30 seconds of my life … as far as I’m concerned I’m the victim here.”
Mr Shida’s partner, Zheani Sparkes, said Mr Shida approached the driver as they were feeling “incredibly intimidated”.
“There was a sense of aggression … behind his pursuit,” she said.
Mr Shida and his partner have been disappointed by the reaction of Victoria Police, which is treating the incident as a case of criminal damage to the wall. Spokeswoman Hannah Rowlands said the driver was a witness to the damage and allegedly panicked and drove off when Mr Shida leant into his car.
Maribyrnong infrastructure services director Sunil Bhalla said the council supported street art when it is carried out with permission.
“Any works that have not been approved are normally removed,” he said.
Mr Shida’s artwork currently remains on the wall, but has been tagged over with a spray painted “#TeamJaguar”.
