Police officers converged on Whangarei's Cameron St Mall after a brawl between two youths broke out in front of a crowd of about 200 onlookers.
The fight between a 17-year-old and a juvenile started at the corner of Cameron and Rathbone streets, at about 3.30pm on Tuesday.
Three police cars, including a
dog unit team, arrived after about 10 minutes and both youths were taken to the Whangarei Police Station for questioning. Officers quickly moved in and dispersed the crowd.
Shop owners yesterday said large groups of youths were intimidating shoppers in central Whangarei, especially during school holidays.
Julie Foster, manager of Scarpa Fashion Shoes and Accessories, said the incident - and the fact the two brawlers were egged on by onlookers - was shocking .
"School holidays are an awful time for us. It's getting worse and we always have to get these young people to get out of the door," she said.
Another retailer who witnessed the fight said drug dealing and fights were common in the mall precincts.
"They were fighting to the point of knocking each other out and were always getting egged on by the crowd," she said.
Parents didn't seem to care what their children were up to and allowed them to roam around the centre of town.
"It's students during school holidays and mid-week, all the wannabes who don't have jobs.
"And all they do is sit, loiter, spit on the ground and mouth off to each other.
"I think the school principals should be saying something about this or
saying something to the parents," she said.
ASB employee Jason Eruera broke up the fight with the help of a taxi driver before police arrived on the scene.
The former nightclub bouncer said the incident was not a good look for Whangarei.
"I heard the noise and just knew it was a fight ...
"I tried separating them because nobody else was going to do it," he said.
Whangarei police Acting Sergeant Paul Overton confirmed a 17-year-old had been charged with fighting in
public.
The other youth was taken to his parents.
