Dad says family ‘lucky to be alive’ after daughter shot in road rage incident

A Brisbane father says his family is lucky to be alive after his daughter was shot and their car rammed in a road rage attack.

A Brisbane father says his family is lucky to be alive after his daughter was shot and their car rammed in a road rage attack on Anzac Day.

Todd Power told The Courier-Mail his family had been driving home on the Logan Motorway at Drewvale in the city’s south after a day of fishing when a Toyota Landcruiser began driving recklessly in front of them about 6.30pm.

He said the Landcruiser, which had been “slamming the brakes” in front of them and swerving at their Ford Focus, then rammed them from behind.

In the chilling road rage ordeal he said the heavily tinted four-wheel-drive appeared next to them.

“He actually shot from the driver’s seat through the passenger’s seat in his car,” Mr Power said.

“It skimmed across my thumb, between the seats and through to my daughter in the back (passenger-side) seat. It hit her in the leg.

“I was right beside him. He got as close as he could.

“I heard the shot.”

Todd Power and his daughter Kayla after their road rage horror. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

While his 14-year-old daughter Kayla screamed in pain in the back of the car, he said the cruiser driver appeared to be taking the Mount Lindesay Highway exit, but swerved back on to the road and “tried to basically T-bone me”.

The family called police and met officers and an ambulance at a shopping centre car park.

Mr Power’s daughter was taken to Queensland Children’s Hospital.

Mr Power said his daughter was still recovering from the shock of the incident.

“She didn’t know what happened at the time,” he said.

“It didn’t go all the way in. It basically pierced all of her skin, went through her clothes. She’s got a hole in her leg.

“All of a sudden it started stinging. She explained it feeling like someone had hit a golf ball into her leg.

“She’s OK now. A bit sore and fairly shaken up, as you can imagine.”

Mr Power said it was lucky his entire family hadn’t been killed.

“It could have ended a lot worse, that bullet could have hit my in the eye and we could have crashed and all died,” he said.

“It could have been absolutely catastrophic.”

Mr Power said he hoped police arrested the man soon.

“Every cop car in the state is looking for that car, it’s only going to be a matter of time,” he said.

Part of the incident captured on camera

Kayla’s bullet wound

“He’s not somebody that needs to be out on our streets.

“To go around just pulling a gun on someone doing 100km/h down the highway, what are these people thinking?” he said.

A police spokeswoman confirmed officers were investigating after the “altercation between two drivers” at Drewvale on Anzac Day.

“Around 6.35pm, a yellow Ford Focus and white Toyota Landcruiser were travelling on the Logan Motorway when the driver of the Landcruiser rammed the other vehicle from behind.

“The Ford Focus sustained damage to the rear.

“The driver of the Landcruiser has then fired an unknown weapon, believed to be an air rifle, towards the occupants of the Ford Focus.

“A female passenger sustained a minor injury to her leg from a projectile and was taken to hospital.

“The Landcruiser continued to drive westbound on Logan Motorway.”

Police are also investigating a separate incident in which the Landcruiser rammed a car with an eight-month-old baby inside.

The spokeswoman said police were appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident, or the moments leading up to it to come forward.

“Anyone who has dashcam vision is asked to contact police,” she said.

Call Policelink on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.