Rumble at Rotorua courthouse

Press, 9 March 1988, Page 8

Rumble at Rotorua courthouse

Special Correspondent ' | . i | Rotorua People in a packed Rotorua courthouse scattered in all directions and watched horrified yesterday as two rival gangs turned the public gallery into a bloody battleground. Police said members of the Mongrel Mcjb and Black Power gangs were in the foyer; of the District Court at Rotorua when the fight, I which ended with a serious stabbing, erupted, j That fight led tp a further skirmish outride the courthouse and a brutal attack later in the! day on two occupants of [a Black Power house. I | Senior-Sergeant Max Jones, of Rotorua, said last evening | that the police had, found no reason whj» thfe fight broke out. ! Detective ! Chris McLeod, ; who was at the courthousp when the fight erupted, said (the public gallery was full, i "Tuesday is! the court’s busiest bay,” | Detective McLeod said last i evening. "It was packed.”! As soon as the fight broke out, Detective McLeod said the crowd moved to one side of the , gallery, some running out ■ the doors. • ' I A court worker said last • evening there iwere about I 40 to 50 people milling about the foyer with up to ; 100 people waiting in a public area upstairs. "People were! scream- ■ ing to get out! the way of the fight. Th’ey did not want to get] involved,” ,» said the court! worker, j who did not jwant to be “7“ 77

named last evening. Detective McLeod said there were about 10 Mongrel Mob and three Black Power members in the fight which broke out about 11.30 a.m. One Mongrel Mob member was stabbed in the stomach in the incident. He was last evening reported in a stable condition in Rotorua Hospital’s intensive-care unit. Minutes after the stabbing the fight spilled outside the courthouse with gang members grabbing bats, and furniture from inside the courthouse, to use as weapons. Police said both scuffles were brief and nobody was injured in the second incident. No arrest was made after either incident. Later in the afternoon Mongrel Mob members regrouped and attacked a Black Power residence. A woman in the' house was severely beaten with what police believe was a softball bat. The extent of her injuries was not known last evening. j A man in the house was stabbed in the back during the gang raid. The man I and the woman were! both reported in a serious condition in Rotorua Hospital . last evening. Senior-Sergeant Jones said eight Mongrel Mob members were arrested after the incident at the house and would appear in the District Court at Rotorua today.