A 13-year-old boy strolling to the video shop to drop off his mother's DVDs was beaten black and blue by two teenage thugs in an unprovoked daylight attack in the Hastings suburb of Flaxmere on Sunday afternoon.
A woman, who did not want to be named, said although she did not
see the attack, she ran over to the boy on Swansea Road after being alerted by a passerby about 1pm. The woman attended to the boy as he lay in pain on the ground, waiting for the emergency services.
"He was curled up and really hurt. He had a few grazes on the ear and back of the head and his elbows," she said.
"The young fellow was crying, and upset and freaked out." He told the woman he did not know the two youths who attacked him.
A witness told the woman she saw two teenage youths hitting and kicking the boys in the head. They then stole the boy's watch and took the DVDs.
The woman and group of people who flocked around the victim, watched as the boys - wearing red and black - sauntered off after the attack.
As he lay on the ground, a group of seven boys aged between 12 and 14 crowded around drinking beer. The woman said a couple were obviously drunk, laughing and encouraging him to "get up bro".
The woman told the intoxicated youths - who did not know the victim - to leave.
The boy was taken to Hawke's Bay Hospital by ambulance and discharged later that night. Flaxmere shopping centre caretaker Steve Beal said he had found many smashed beer bottles around the carpark on Monday morning - significantly more than usual.
The latest reported attack did not surprise him. Mr Beal said most trouble at the centre happened on Sunday afternoons as there were few people around, and teens were bored and hanging in groups, writing graffiti and causing havoc.
"A lot of people feel uneasy around here," he said.
Hastings police Senior Sergeant Ross Smith said police were still making inquiries, but would like to hear from anybody who saw the attack.
Mr Smith said there had been a few street robberies recently - in Flaxmere and other areas - with bikes and skateboards being taken from victims.