A genuinely shocking road rage video has emerged of an angry driver shouting at a blind man who was trying to cross the road, and slapping the man's companion repeatedly around the head.

The driver rains blows down on the man's arms and face and at one point shouts angrily at the blind man, their faces just inches apart.

The footage, believed to have been filmed near Avenue Ledru-Rollin in Paris, captures the moment the cane of the disabled pedestrian strikes the front wheel arch of a large black Audi as it drives over a pedestrian crossing.

The blind man continues to cross the road, accompanied by another man, as the Audi driver slows to a halt in the middle of the city street. The driver, a middle aged man in a grey jacket, gets out and approaches the pair with his hands raised.

Barely a word has been exchanged when the driver lands an open-handed blow on the side of the face of the blind man's companion, as the disabled pedestrian stands helplessly by, holding his cane.

The driver rains down blows and slaps towards the blind man's companion, repeatedly hitting the man's forearms and head as the two engage in an ungainly tussle in the middle of the road.

Heated words are exchanged as an elderly woman, who was a passenger in the Audi and may well be the man's wife, steps in to separate the driver from the two men.

At one point the angry driver shouts directly at the blind man, who continues to stay still holding up his white stick.

Then the man again assaults the pedestrian he hit first, before trying to shove the woman out of the way, seemingly in an effort to continue to escalate the fight.

In this still from the video the blind man (L) raises his cane and tries to beckon towards the scuffling pair to stop. The driver, in grey, continues to rain blows down on the pedestrian

The driver left his car running with the car door open as he marched over to shout at, and hit, the pedestrian. The man, in a black jacket, raised his arms towards his assailant

At one point the blind pedestrian even reaches out and briefly grabs the back of the driver's jacket

A crowd starts to gather, including a woman (above, light grey coat) who exits the passenger's side of the car and comes over to try to calm down the driver - possibly her husband

The driver even shouts angrily towards the blind man before being led back towards his car

Eventually after a small crowd gathers the driver, and his female companion, get back in the Audi and drive away.

The footage suggests that the altercation began as the pair on foot first stepped onto the pedestrian crossing.

The Audi drives straight across the black and white markings without pausing for the blind man - visibly carrying his cane - and the other man.

The man swings his cane out and it clips the car's front wheel arch, although whether this was accidental or a deliberate rebuke at the inconsiderate driving is not clear.

It is at that point the driver slows to a stop and gets out to launch his attack.