New South Wales Police minister David Elliot has conceded that he blew up at a teenage driver during a road rage fracas last week.
Elliot is accused of also chasing the teenager “through the backstreets of Castle Hill” before yelling at him and grabbing his arm, The Australian reports.
Having told the P-plate driver who clipped Elliot’s car door mirror and left the scene that he “worked for the cops”, the teenager asked him to present his “badge” ID, to which the minister admits to saying “I pay for the badges, I don’t get one”.
Elliot reported the teenager to Castle Hill police station, while the teenager’s parents reported Elliot’s conduct to police also. The teen’s father said Elliot should have simply taken his son’s registration and reported the incident – action the police minister should have been well aware of.
“I could hear this fellow yelling and screaming (on the phone),” the teen’s dad says.
“I think in this day and age when road rage is quite high-profile, it is poor form by someone in that position,” the father adds.
Elliot tells the newspaper the teenager refused to provide his details, to which Elliot made the statement about being a policeman when giving his business card to the teen.
Elliot says he wasn’t chasing because “we were going in the same direction”, instead suggesting he “only stopped to ask to exchange details when we both parked at traffic lights”.
Elliot claims the teenager also swore at his wife and was abusive, having done up to $1000 damage.
“I’ll be paying the damage because it’s probably under the excess,” Elliot says.
“But I’m dirty about it and furious he swore at my wife. Even after I gave him my business card and said he was obliged to exchange details he kept swearing and carrying on,” he adds.
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