Video footage has captured the moment fireworks allegedly aimed by the occupants of a passing car exploded inside a busy lawnmower shop, injuring two – including one left with a golf ball-sized welt to the front of his neck.
The incident at Papakura Lawnmowers on Friday initially sparked fears it had been caused by gunfire, with one colleague grabbing a 30cm ride-on lawnmower blade off the shelf as he ran to confront the alleged attackers, worker Lee Webster said.
Webster and two other staff members were behind the counter and at least four customers were inside the shop when they began hearing explosions about 9.30am.
“At first we didn’t know it was only fireworks, because all we heard was bang, bang. So for all we knew, it could’ve been firearms … that was my initial thought, that it could’ve been some sort of firearm … we didn’t understand what was going on until we saw the pretty colours.”
As some customers took cover amid the fear and confusion of fireworks exploding inside the shop, Webster and a colleague, who armed himself with a lawnmower blade, bolted towards the store’s entrance.
Webster ran after the car down East St, memorising its number plate for police, who later told the Herald they immediately began searching the area.
“The alleged vehicle was promptly located and two people were arrested and appear to have been charged in relation to the incident,” a police spokeswoman said.
She didn’t have any other details, such as the charges or when the pair would appear in court.
After returning to the shop, Webster said he found a middle-aged man he believed was the target of the alleged attack.
“He had a big burn-like welt mark right on his Adam’s apple. It was about the size of a golf ball.”
The man had been walking past the entrance to Papakura Lawnmowers when the occupants of a passing car allegedly began yelling and shooting fireworks at him, some of which then entered Papakura Lawnmowers, Webster said.
“We just happened to be caught in the crossfire.”
The man initially turned down an offer for staff to call an ambulance before changing his mind.
“He was having difficulty breathing not long before the ambulance arrived as his throat was starting to swell up.”
The man was treated at the scene, but ambulance officers took a customer of the shop to a medical centre as she had triggered an old back injury while taking cover and was suffering anxiety after the incident, Webster said.
A female staff member could be seen in CCTV footage comforting the distressed woman.
A Hato Hone St John Ambulance spokeswoman said they sent an ambulance and a first response unit to the scene, with one person taken to a medical centre in a moderate condition.
As well as putting customers and staff at risk, the fireworks also had the potential to start a fire, given there was fuel inside the shop, Webster said.
An animal lover, he hadn’t bought fireworks for years, and he hoped private sales and use would be banned – as called for by New Zealand First leader Winston Peters this week.
“I’m quite happy for the council or whatever to do a public display where everyone gathers together and does a display,” said Webster.
“But I don’t believe they should be sold privately.”
NZ First introduced a Member’s Bill to ban the public sale and use of fireworks this week, with Peters saying approved public displays would be allowed to continue but “enough is enough” on private sale and use.
“The taxpayer should not be spending millions on something that drastically impacts pets, causes the inevitable fires and causes havoc for our emergency services,” Peters said.
“The abuse and misuse of fireworks has far outgrown any of the benefits.”
Since fireworks went on sale this week before Guy Fawkes on Wednesday there have been multiple incidents of harm and disorder.
This included arrests in Dunedin’s student quarter after fireworks were fired at police and notorious Castle St turned into a “warzone” as drunk students aimed fireworks at each other over two nights.
Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.