Identifying brawlers proving tough for police

Police are having difficulty identifying exactly who knocked a teenager unconscious outside an Auckland nightclub earlier this month. File photo / NZ Herald

Police say identifying exactly who knocked a teenager unconscious outside an Auckland nightclub earlier this month is proving a complex task.

The 18-year-old was assaulted while trying to break up a brawl outside the Pyramid nightclub on Wyndham St in the Auckland CBD in the early hours of May 5.

He was taken to Auckland Hospital with serious injuries, but Detective Sergeant Andy King said he had since been released.

"He had many fractures to his face and skull but he's going to be okay," Mr King told NZPA.

Witnesses said about six to 10 men had tried to rush into the nightclub after being refused entry by bouncers on the door.

A brawl began shortly afterward. Three men tried to break it up, and the 18-year-old knocked to the ground and kicked in the head, leaving him unconscious.

Investigations were continuing but identifying the offenders was proving difficult and there had been a number of fights going on over a period of about 10 minutes, Mr King said.

This meant witnesses were finding it hard to focus their attention on exactly what happened, he said.

- NZPA