Police pick up youths after school attack
By MICHAEL FOX - Stuff.co.nz
Police have picked up eight youths in relation to a pack attack on an Auckland secondary school student on Monday.
The 14-year-old was attacked by eight youths armed with a softball bat as he sat at the back of his Lynfield College classroom around 1pm on Monday. He managed to escape serious injury but required treatment for cuts and bruises.
Principal Steve Bovaird said a group of teenagers burst through the door and attacked the pupil in front of other students and their teacher.
Most of the group were understood to be from Mt Roskill Grammar but were led to the victim by a Lynfield student.
The victim was punched a number of times and possibly kicked as well. He went for a medical check and was discharged. He had not returned to school yet, Mr Bovaird told Radio New Zealand.
Video surveillance footage of four to five teens has been handed to police.
It showed the group were on the grounds for only two minutes.
They were not wearing uniforms and did not seem to try to hide their appearances but may not have known about the video surveillance, Mr Bovaird said.
Police located the group - all aged between 14 and 16 - off the school grounds on Monday and three have since been referred to Police Youth Services for aggravated assault and for unlawfully being on a property, with a view to holding Family Group Conferences. Five have been reported to Youth Services in relation to the incident.
Police said the eight apprehended youths came from three different backgrounds, despite reports one of the attackers had yelled the name of an Afghan youth gang during the attack.
Police said they had spoken to the principals of two colleges, believed to be Lynfield College and Mt Roskill Grammar, and have spoken with a number of families about the attack.
Police said they were always gathering information on youth gangs but would not comment on the claims this was linked to a specific group.
“We are fully aware of the existence of several ethnically-based and geographically-based groups in the Western Area of the Auckland City District but prefer not to elevate their profiles by singling any particular groups out for specific comment,” police said.
It was reported the attack stemmed from a war of words on social networking site Bebo.
- with NZPA
