Six people arrested after three 'monstered' in city

Three men were "monstered" by a group of at least six in a serious street attack in central Invercargill in the early hours of Saturday morning, police said.

The men were attacked moments after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed in Gala St.

Sergeant Wing Ng said police were called to the scene just outside Rices Powerstore.

A group of Murihiku Maori Wardens reported three men, aged in their mid-20s, had been attacked.

Police were investigating the circumstances leading up to the attack, but believed an altercation between the men who were attacked and the group that attacked them had taken place only moments earlier as both groups drove around the inner city, Mr Ng said.

"The victims were in a silver Ford Falcon and the offenders in a red van when there was an altercation at the Trooper's Memorial (the roundabout at the intersection of Tay and Dee streets)," he said. "I don't know if words were exchanged or bottles were thrown."

Both vehicles travelled north in Dee St, before turning into Gala St, where the driver of the Falcon lost control of the vehicle, Mr Ng said.

"The Falcon crashed and the van pulled up and the occupants leapt out and monstered the other men."

The first officer on the scene, Mr Ng said the van carrying the offenders had left before he arrived but witnesses said it had driven off south in Leven St.

After he radioed another police unit, the van was pulled over several blocks away, he said.

Police arrested the occupants of the van, five men and one woman, aged between 19 and 39, he said.

The six made a brief appearance in the Invercargill District Court charged with injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm later that day.

They were remanded in custody to appear in the Invercargill District Court tomorrow. He could not discount the possibility of additional charges.

Two of the three men attacked were taken to Southland Hospital with facial injuries and later discharged, Mr Ng said.

Inquiries were continuing.

Police were asking anyone who witnessed an incident between the occupants of the red Ford Econovan and the silver Ford Falcon in Dee St, or the subsequent assault, to contact Invercargill police.

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Ross   #6   11:19 am Feb 09 2010

Perhaps I can explain the term Monstered. My 17 year old son was "Monstered" and then assaulted by a group of 4 yobs as he walked home from a friends about a month ago in the early hours of a Sunday mrorning. Given that the description of the poor wee fellas vehicle in todays paper matches exactly that of the carload that jumped my boy, I'd say what goes around, comes around. My son escaped lightly and gave more than he got to his 3 attackers thankfully, but was certainly shaken and left with injuries. It was a sudden, random, savage and senseless attack. Too much of this goes on and our biggest gang locally, the Police, seem to be incapable of organising their priorities to take these numbskulls off the streets. Forget prosecuting inner city bar patrons for stepping off the footpath for one weekend and take a broom to the dirt that blows around the corners of our city instead.

Pete   #5   07:56 am Feb 09 2010

You could probably do a lot of 'monstering' with a falcon. There are two sides to every story.

AGFA   #4   12:08 am Feb 09 2010

What does "monstered" mean?

steve   #3   02:21 pm Feb 08 2010

Was it gang related.?

TYPO   #2   11:10 am Feb 08 2010

Monstered? Que?

nathan   #1   09:50 am Feb 08 2010

'monstered.....? has snoop dogg started to write for southland times

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