Takitai Aperau, 44, pleads guilty to dangerous driving on M1 at Coomera

A man has been caught on camera darting through traffic at speed on the Gold Coast M1 and ramming a Tesla and in anger fuelled road rage rampage. SEE THE VIDEO.

A Gold Coast learner driver has faced court over an anger-fuelled road rage rampage in which he chased a vehicle at high-speed in peak hour motorway traffic before ramming it.

Takitai Aperau was captured on camera from a Tesla, tailgating the vehicle in a white SUV along the Pacific Motorway at Coomera on Saturday, May 11 last year. He can be seen flashing his lights while behind the car for a period of time – before his driving turns dangerous.

As the Tesla driver moves into the middle lane the 44-year-old follows, speeding up and continuing to tailgate the driver.

As the victim changes lanes to get away from Aperau, he continues pursuing them, darting in and out of busy weekend traffic, at times narrowly avoiding taking out innocent motorists during his rage.

He can be seen in the footage deliberately ramming the driver twice before they manage to speed off and make their escape.

Takitai Aperau, 44, walks from Southport Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to a string of driving offences. Picture: Charlton Hart.

“The defendant (Aperau) stated to police that he was upset that the Tesla was in the fast lane and wasn’t going fast enough so he got mad,” Prosecutor Erin Garland told Southport Magistrates Court on Monday where Aperau plead guilty to a string of driving offences.

“He’s then got upset and wanted the driver to pull over so he could have words with them but the driver of the Tesla refused to.

“He did accept that he operated his vehicle in a dangerous manner but it was because he was angry.”

The court was told police tracked down Aperau and following a formal interview in which he made a number of admissions, he was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, not displaying learner plates and driving without a supervisor.

CCTV footage captured from the Tesla.

Aperau’s solicitor Layla King told the court: “He makes no excuses for his conduct.

“There was an initial frustration, I would say frustration, to which he accepts where the other party had brake checked him. He had then become frustrated because of the speed of the other driver.

“He was cooperative with police, he made admissions to them. He did take responsibility.”

Ms King said her client had no criminal history and his early plea of guilty demonstrated remorse for his actions.

“I know how – and I think just about every other driver on the road -how frustrating it becomes when there is someone in the fast lane who is not overtaking,” Magistrate Joan White said in sentencing Aperau.

“No matter how frustrating it is, it certainly doesn’t excuse your behaviour.”

Magistrate White order he pay a $2000 fine which was referred to SPER, he was also disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for eight months. No conviction was recorded.