A woman in Manchester has spoken out after she says a van driver subjected her and her mother to racist abuse, threw rocks at her car and attempted to smash her window during a road rage confrontation. The incident, which happened on October 8, has sparked outrage online, with footage attracting thousands of views and comments.
Aisha Mado was driving with her mother in the passenger seat and young children in the car when she moved into the right-hand lane to overtake a coach. After checking it was safe, she noticed a van approaching rapidly behind her. As traffic slowed and vehicles changed lanes, tensions escalated.
Abuse and attacks on the road
According to Aisha, the van driver pulled alongside her, opened his window and began shouting racist abuse at her and her mother, calling them "P**i B****es". She said he then started throwing rocks at her vehicle while she was still moving, and attempted to smash her window.
"When I attempted to open my window to shout, I've got kids in the car, what are you doing? He tried to aim for my mum's face, who was in the passenger seat with me," she said. The confrontation continued when they reached traffic lights, with the man allegedly throwing rocks and coins at her car before getting out of his vehicle.
Aisha acknowledges that she also shouted insults during the confrontation. She claims he then struck her window, knocked off her wing mirror and threw further objects at her vehicle before driving away.
Impact on the family
"I was just left with crying babies, you know, me and my mum were shook, and I had a broken wing mirror," she said. "I had a 50-minute journey to make home."
The incident has left the two-year-old in the car particularly distressed, with the youngster becoming upset whenever she gets into a car. "I have a two-year-old that's literally traumatised, has been crying since when we've gotten in the car, saying the man's coming, the man kicked the window. That's not okay. She's two years old," Aisha said. The anxiety has also forced her to take time off work.
Police response and online reaction
Aisha contacted Greater Manchester Police after the incident. The driver was arrested and subsequently released on bail. Footage of the confrontation has attracted widespread attention online, and the man's business profile has reportedly been removed. Aisha fears the viral attention will not necessarily lead to accountability, saying: "Clearly, like him going viral, just it won't stop him. Honestly, it won't stop someone like that."
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "A man was arrested on 14 October after handing himself in at a police station. He has been bailed pending further enquiries with conditions not to contact anyone associated with the investigation."
