Five members of Comancheros gang in court after serious assault in West Auckland

NZ Herald

24 Nov, 2021 09:49 PM2 mins to read

Five men have been arrested in relation to a serious assault in Glen Eden yesterday. Photo / Alex Burton

Five members of a motorcycle gang have appeared in court after a man was critically injured during an altercation in West Auckland.

Police confirmed five men - aged between 18 and 24 - have been arrested and charged after the serious assault on a man in the suburb of Glen Eden yesterday.

Waitematā CIB Detective Inspector Kevin McNaughton confirmed all those arrested are members of the Comancheros, and the man was known to them.

They have been jointly charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

It carries a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment.

The five men appeared separately in Waitakere District Court this morning via audio-visual link before Judge June Jelas, wearing boiler suits and masks.

They were granted interim name suppression and remanded in custody without plea until their next court appearance on December 1.

Their lawyer Mark Ryan said there had been suggestions of gang tensions and that was one of the reasons why they were remanded in custody, for their own safety.

The arrests come after emergency services were called to Virgo Place yesterday afternoon after reports someone had been seriously injured during an altercation.

After police arrived, a man suffering from serious injuries arrived at Waitakere Hospital. He was later transferred to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition.

He remains in a critical condition this morning, authorities confirmed.

"Police inquiries are ongoing into the incident and we are unable to rule [out] further charges being laid," McNaughton said.

A scene examination is continuing today on Virgo Place.