Arrests after video of attack by four teens on girl in Papatoetoe posted to social media

Footage showed a girl being attacked while on the ground in a Papatoetoe carpark. Screenshot / Supplied

Three teenage girls have been charged after a brutal attack on a girl that was videoed and posted on social media.

Detective Senior Sergeant Michele Gillespie said police were called to a report of a young woman being seriously assaulted in Papatoetoe on Thursday night.

Police were contacted by a nearby business about the alleged assault at 9.45pm in a carpark off Station Rd.

“The victim had been assaulted a number of times. She did not require hospitalisation but will seek medical assessment,” Gillespie said.

A video of the assault was posted on social media with music in the background and a derogatory caption.

The footage shows a girl being punched and kicked, before being thrown on the ground and further attacked by four young women.

The assault goes on for 40 seconds and the girl appears to be unconscious during a portion of the attack.

“Police located the alleged offenders early this morning, who are known to the victim,” Gillespie said.

The Herald asked police why only three people have been arrested when the video showed four people involved in the attack.

“Inquiries are still ongoing and further charges can’t be ruled out,” a police spokesperson said.

Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.