I was dragged from my car and attacked by thugs in front of my family – I thought they were going to kill me
A TRAUMATISED dad told how he feared he was going to die as masked thugs pulled him from his car and battered him during Dundee’s Halloween horror.
Callum Mackay, 26, underwent surgery to tackle bowel cancer just days before the mob attacked him during mayhem in the city on Monday night.
His partner Stacie McKay, 27, was trapped inside the motor with their three little girls and told how she called cops four times and begged for help.
Callum said: “I was worried I wasn’t going to make it out of there alive.”
But the couple have lodged an official complaint with cops after claiming officers left them at the mercy of a rampaging mob.
They claim officers drove past the shocking incident – which lasted for half an hour – and did nothing to help.
They revealed their kids have now been plagued by flashbacks and are struggling to get over the attack.
Callum, from Dundee, said: “I was terrified for Stacie and the girls. The police did nothing to help. I didn’t have any contact with them until the next day.
“I’m disgusted by their response. They’re very lucky that no one was seriously injured or worse. They need to come up with better plans.”
Frantic Stacie told how she repeatedly called 999. She said: “I was screaming and crying and so were the girls. We were petrified.
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“I was pleading down the phone for someone to come and help us because they were trying to set the car on fire.
“We were trapped because there was no way we could get out of the car. We couldn’t do anything.”
Stacie told how she spotted a police car in the distance and reckoned the cavalry had arrived at last.
She added: “I thought that they had come to help and I was so relieved. I thought we were going to be saved.
“But instead they just drove past. I couldn’t believe it. There is no way they didn’t see what was going on.”
Callum, Stacie and their three girls – aged eight three and one – had gone trick or treating and planned to visit a Halloween house.
When they noticed the mayhem unfolding in the Kirkton area of Dundee they decided to head straight home.
‘It happened really fast’
But they were mobbed by a gang wearing skull masks, balaclavas and hoodies.
Their path was blocked by burning wheelie bins and the lunatics aimed fireworks, stones and bricks at the Seat Leon.
They left it covered in dents and scratches and smashed the petrol cap cover.
Callum said: “One of them reached into the car and opened the door from the inside.
“Before I knew it I was on the ground and there were about 15 of them laying into me. It happened really fast.
“They took the keys from the ignition and one of them shouted: ‘this car is ours now’.”
‘I’ve never seen anything like it in my life’
The couple said they have now filed a formal complaint with Police Scotland about how they dealt with the attack.
It only ended when someone in the crowd recognised Callum and broke it up.
But he was still trapped because he didn’t have his car keys.
A passer-by came and took Stacie and the girls away, but the thugs aimed fireworks at them as they got into another motor.
Callum said: “The crowd started fighting among themselves and someone then came over to me and handed me back my keys.
“I went and got Stacie and the girls and we were finally able to drive away. As we headed home we just said ‘what the f*** was that’?
“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. When you go out trick or treating you don’t expect something like that, especially in your home city.”
‘It’ll take us a long time to get over this’
Stacie revealed the girls have been badly affected by the incident.
She said: “They’re not sleeping and they’re having nightmares.
“They don’t want to leave the house, but then neither do I. I do the school run and come straight home. It’s going to take us a long time to get over this.”
Callum was diagnosed with bowel cancer a month before the incident and underwent keyhole surgery to remove part of his intestine a week-and-a-half before Halloween.
He said: “I went to A&E to get checked out. There was nothing seriously wrong with me apart from a few bruises. I feel really lucky because it could have been so much worse.”
Callum reckons some of his attackers could have been in their 30s, while others were teenagers.
He added: “What a waste. They’ve probably got kids of their own. But instead of being out having fun with them they’d rather attack people and cause mayhem.”
‘Extremely challenging’
Detectives visited Callum the following day to take a statement but he doubts anyone will ever face justice.
We told yesterday how cops vowed to track down those involved in the night of chaos which turned the city into a “warzone”.
Windows at local schools and shops were smashed while thugs set fires and jumped on top of cars.
Police said they are aware of the incident involving Callum and his family and an investigation is ongoing.
Tayside police commander Chief Superintendent Phil Davison told how dealing with mass disorder is “always extremely challenging”.
He said: “There was a significant police presence deployed.
“But that response needs to be measured to how and when we step in with tactics to quell and disperse groups. Sometimes going in too early can antagonise behaviour and make things worse.
“So we fall back on experienced commanders who are used to dealing with these situations. This ensures our tactics and response is appropriate.”
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