Reti helps assault victim

The Herald reports:

Two teenage boys have been assaulted in Whangarei in separate, violent, evening attacks, with one stopped by a GP and political aspirant while the other involved an attacker intoxicated on legal highs who also assaulted police.

Whangarei GP Shane Reti wants the community to unite to stop violence in the city after he helped stop a violent assault on a boy in the CBD while filming a video on Wednesday night about today’s Anzac Day commemorations. ….

Dr Reti, who is the National Party candidate for Whangarei in September’s general election, said he was disappointed by the level of violence he witnessed just after 9pm on Wednesday that involved two young men “kicking the heck out of” a boy on the ground in Rathbone St.

He captured part of the assault on video when he left his camera running after filming a video for his Facebook page at the Field of Remembrance in Laurie Hall Park. 

While driving out of Laurie Hall Lane on to Bank St, he noticed a car stopped in the middle of the road and heard a commotion before realising what was going on – a boy aged 15 or 16 was curled up in the foetal position while two young men took turns kicking him. Dr Reti got out of his car and approached the attackers who stopped the assault.

“The young man was bruised and dazed but conscious and I applied the required medical cares until the police arrived,” he said.

Kicking someone lying on the ground is particularly cowardly and brutal. Hopefully the Police catch the assailants.