City residents rush to stop fight

NICOLE GOURLEY/The Southland Times

HAVE A SEAT: Constable Mike Calvert leads a teen to a police car after a fight in Elizabeth St, Invercargill, yesterday.

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An escalating brawl between three teenagers sparked a rush of 111 calls from a south Invercargill street yesterday as residents rushed to break up the scrap.

Police received the calls from about 4.10pm as Elizabeth St residents reported a fist fight between the trio.

The brawl grew in scope with every phone call, until callers were describing the three as being armed with an array of improvised weapons ranging from bottles and a stick to a recycling bin.

One man described it as "full-on". "It went on for ages. It just kept ramping up. In the end it was like they were picking up anything and just full-out laying into each other."

Constable Mike Calvert, of Invercargill, said when police arrived residents had already weighed in to break up the fight.

A motorist who pulled over to intervene ended up with the rear window of his car being smashed in the fracas, he said.

Five police patrol cars arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and two of the offenders, who ran off, were quickly caught.

Mr Calvert credited the public for their quick response both in calling police and intervening in the fight that, given the offend-ers were arming themselves,had the potential to become dangerous.

He could not comment on what had sparked the brawl, but police believed the three, all aged in their late teens, had been drinking.

The fight attracted several bystanders. Two of them, both women who live in the street, had mixed reactions.

"It used to be such a quiet street," one said.

The other said she believed the incident was a "one-off".

Mr Calvert said the trio would face charges of fighting, possession of an offensive weapon and intentional damage. They were likely to appear in the Invercargill District Court on Tuesday.

- © Fairfax NZ News