Melbourne couple relive terrifying Ampol attack at Huntingdale

A family has opened up on the horrifying moment a man threatened to kill a pregnant mum and her unborn baby in an attempted carjacking.

Mahesh Sriramaiah and his partner Shruthi Shehagiri and their five-year-old son were in the car at an Ampol service station in Huntingdale, Melbourne, on March 17.

A man then began kicking their vehicle and threatened to kill Ms Shehagiri and her unborn child before the family fled the scene.

Mr Sriramaiah has relived the horrifying experience two weeks later saying him and his entire family froze in fear.

‘We had a brain freeze moment and we didn’t know why we did not leave the place,’ he told Channel Nine’s Today on Friday.

‘My son from the back seat is screaming. I don’t know, it was one of the worst moments that happened.’ 

Mr Sriramaiah and his family had been returning home from dinner when they pulled into the service station to refuel the car.

The father and his son paid for their fuel at the counter and were returning to the vehicle when the man pulled in on a motorcycle.

‘He was shouting, screaming, pointing something at the teller,’ Mr Sriramaiah said.

‘Initially, he tried to enter the service station, because it was closed he kicked it as hard as he could and then he was threatening the service station teller.

‘When he was not successful there he randomly looked at us.’

Mr Sriramaiah said he was locking the seatbelt for his five-year-old son as the man began to make his way over.

The father jumped into the car and locked the doors before the man came over and kicked the car causing the vehicle to shake.

‘When he came closer to the car and two inches away from my wife, he saw her tummy and realised she was pregnant,’ Mr Sriramaiah said.

‘That’s when he started continuously telling you, “I will kill you, I will kill the baby”.’

Ms Shehagiri said the man smashed his hand against the window before she screamed in horror and the family fled.

She said she had been left traumatised by the incident.

CCTV footage from the service station showed the moment the unnamed man kicked the passenger side door after a running jump. 

 The man is on the run and police are appealing for public assistance on the attack and are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. 

He’s described as having an athletic build and was wearing a leather jacket and jeans at the time. 

A man then began kicking their vehicle and threatened to kill Ms Shehagiri and her unborn child before the family fled the scene