Stool and goods fly as pair fight at Pakuranga night market on Saturday. Video / Supplied
Footage has emerged of a brawl at an Auckland night market, showing a plastic stool and goods flying as one man slams another against a stall.
Two people were critically injured in what police described as an assault at the Pakūranga market in Auckland on Saturday night. The pairwere now in a stable condition in hospital, police said on Sunday morning.
A witness described one injury as a stab wound but officers have not confirmed the nature of the incident.
Police said this morning they were conducting a scene examination in the underground carpark where the market is held and locals should expect to see “an increased police presence” throughout the day.
Video shared with the Herald shows a man struggling as another holds the sleeves of his jacket. Yells ring out as two men stand over the other and violently swing at him.
One woman standing beside the men throws a small plastic stool at their heads, while another woman tries holding one of the men back.
The struggling man is then pulled and swung around against a market stall. Goods laid out on the market stand go flying as a man in a thin, black, hooded puffer jacket appears to kick his knee into the other man, pushing him back into the stand.
A bystander comes between the men and pushes them apart just before the video ends.
Blood was pooled on the ground and a crowd was standing around one of the injured young men, a witness told the Herald last night.
Emergency services attended the incident and shut down the market. Cordons were put in place as paramedics treated the injured and police looked for the offender.
Police at the scene of the Pakuranga Night Market after two people were critically injured in a serious incident on Saturday night. Photo / Pixelbypearce
A police spokesman this morning said the two people injured remained in hospital in stable conditions.
“Police continue to follow positive lines of inquiry to locate the alleged offender. If anyone has any information that can further assist the investigation, please call police on 105 and refer to file number 250621/0744.”
Market organisers recounted how they understood the incident unfolded in a post on social media last night.
An organiser said they were praying for the victims’ speedy recovery and told market attendees to avoid conflict.
“No matter the situation, it’s always best to avoid conflict and not escalate things.
“To our younger friends: no matter what happens, always stay calm. Take a step back – and you’ll find the sky is vast and clear. Don’t let a small moment lead to serious consequences.”
Tonight, we want to first update all our night market followers:
The two injured individuals are not in any...
Photos from the scene show multiple police cars parked around the markets.
Numerous police officers were on site. A witness said they were barred from leaving the market for some time.
Other photos showed patches of blood on a concreted area in the market.
A witness told the Herald he heard “screaming” and then saw a group of people gather around a badly injured young man.
“I saw a pool of blood and between the gaps of people’s arms and heads and they were crouching on the ground around one boy,” he said.
“I looked over and saw the stab wound on his lower abdomen ... people were trying to help apply pressure to the wound and others were ringing the ambulance and police.”
The witness said his younger brother was near where the two injured people when they were stabbed.
“He said it happened so quickly.”
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers business, breaking news and local stories from Tāmaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
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