Teen critically hurt in Epsom rampage is awake and talking
The teenage cyclist who was allegedly run over by a man in a stolen four-by-four in Auckland is now conscious and talking.
A police spokesperson said for privacy reasons they will not comment further on his condision and remain in contact with his family.
A 49-year-old is before the courts and faces a range of charges in relation to the violent rampage in the suburb of Epsom on 5 August.
In less than eight minutes he is said to have allegedly assaulting a jogger, taking a car and running down three high-school-aged cyclists before killing a dog.
The man faces 17 charges including intent to cause grievous bodily harm, which has a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment.
The man is due back in the Auckland District Court on 4 September by which time a psychologist evaluation will have taken place.
Andre Lipa, a witness to the man's arrest, described the aftermath at the time as a "war zone."
"I saw the five bikes absolutely buckled and smashed on the side of the road with an ambulance and one person being attended to, and then further down there were two or three cars just in the middle of the road that had been hit," he said.