Teenage party turns violent

Police were called to intervene after a teenage party in Waterview turned violent. Photo / Greg Bowker

Four men were injured in a knife fight outside a party in the West Auckland suburb of Waterview early yesterday.

Witnesses said a group of teenagers attacked each other with bats and knives outside the party in Saxon St, before moving towards the field at Waterview Primary School.

It is believed at least two boys are in hospital with stab wounds.

Neighbours said they heard the fight break out after several members of a local youth gang tried to gatecrash the party.

Pani Taiapa said she woke around 12.30am to screams from the street. She called the police as she watched the fights break out, but said she was helpless to intervene.

She saw two men lying on the ground after they had been attacked, and another man standing over them holding a baseball bat.

"He didn't look like the one who attacked them though, he was trying to protect them," said Taiapa. "I woke up when I heard people screaming outside and I went out to have a look and saw all these people on the street and thought, 'something's going to happen'. I scrambled to call 111 and then went to the top of the driveway and saw two boys lying on the ground.

"They were bent over and swearing and shouting and looked like they'd been stabbed.

"Some people came out of their houses to give the boys blankets while the cops came."

Taiapa said she also saw police pulling weapons out of a satchel bag they found on a man who was hiding in the bushes.

"From where I was standing it looked like it was full of bats and batons and things like that," she said.

Another resident, Fi Laumahina, said: "The youth gangs are a new thing around here, we haven't had many problems with them before. Waterview is generally a safe place - it's those that come into the area that make trouble. It's quite freaky and I worry about my children."

The incident happened a few hundred metres from where a 13-year-old was raped one month ago as she was walking home.

Police are speaking to the injured men in hospital and are questioning other youths at the party.