A screengrab from a video as police in riot armour with large clear shields lined up across State Highway 1, as they faced disorder from street racers in Levin, late on Friday night. Photo: Supplied/ Video screen grab - The Traffic Fox
A night of chaos, street racing and violence has been condemned by Palmerston North and Horowhenua mayors, after a large gathering caused mayhem and armoured police responded.
Some people are concerned a second night of disruption could begin.
Hundreds of people and cars descended on Levin on Friday evening, driving recklessly and disrupting the community, Horowhenua District Mayor Bernie Wanden said. Some of the group moved up to Palmerston North during the night and then back to Levin.
The police helicopter circled over Levin on Saturday night, with local social media posts reporting loud hoons out again in the area in groups of vehicles, some speeding and some doing burnouts.
Wanden and Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith said Friday night and Saturday mornings events were disgraceful and unacceptable.
"Estimated to be over 1000 people, it turned a little ugly," Wanden said. "They deliberately tried to incite and taunt police, tried to provoke them by running into one of their vehicles, setting off fireworks and things like that." .
Ten people were arrested, and two officers and five members of the public were injured during the event, police said. People were hit by cars, one was run over and property was damaged, while complaints from Levin residents about disruption in their areas flowed onto local social media pages during the night.
Police confirmed one of the arrested people had a tomahawk and was charged with possessing an offensive weapon. They said rocks and bricks had also been thrown at officers.
A video posted to social media showed police standing in formation with shields, body armour and weapons, across the highway at the central Levin Queen Street and Oxford Street shops, with sirens heard in the area and many thick dark tyre skid marks seen in circles on the intersection in front of them
Horowhenua District Mayor Bernie Wanden has condemned the gathering that turned ugly, with arrests and injuries. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The mayors thanked police for their response, noting officers were targeted with fireworks and police car tyres were slashed.
Smith said street-racing was not welcome and the clean-up afterwards created significant costs.
Wanden said Friday night was the anniversary of an illegal gathering that turned violent a year ago and there had been rumours a crowd would return.
"Quite a long night for police and emergency people that had to deal with a number of senseless and mindless people, who were just there to create as much mayhem as they could.
"Police were able to break up [the initial] gathering, but they had been there for a while - you could hear it throughout the town. They then broke up and went out into different parts of the region, and into Palmerston North, before returning to Levin in the early morning and finally breaking up about three o'clock."
Wanden said police had been aware of the gathering ahead of time and had prepared for it.
"We had drones and the Eagle helicopter was deployed around the town. [Police] were well supported by that back-up, and their ability to be able to break up and then move accordingly was really helpful."
'Physical attacks', fireworks, vehicles used against officers
In a statement on Saturday, Inspector Ash Gurney said police faced "physical attacks on the ground", and that fireworks, vehicles and aggression were used against them, as they tried to disperse the crowd.
Officers used sponge rounds to disperse a group blocking an ambulance from reaching a pedestrian, who had been struck by a car performing a burnout.
Police in riot gear with weapons running past shops on SH1, Levin's main street, on Friday night. Photo: Supplied/ Video screen grab - The Traffic Fox
Four more bystanders, aged 16-20, were injured later in the night, when cars hit them at another gathering point. One woman had both her legs run over.
All were taken to Palmerston North Hospital.
Police said the crowd, at one point, reached about 1000 people and moved across several sites, including SH57 and Palmerston North, where diesel was poured and set alight at an intersection.
An 18-year-old man, tracked with the help of the police Eagle helicopter, was arrested after a foot chase and was due in Levin District Court on Tuesday, facing several charges.
Several police vehicles were also damaged, with tyres slashed and projectiles thrown.
Levin, on Friday night. Photo: Supplied/ Video screen grab - The Traffic Fox
Gurney called the level of violence "incredibly reckless" and warned that future events like this could have deadly consequences.
"The fact that members of the public were injured should send a strong warning to people intending to take part or observe - this is dangerous and stupid behaviour."
Police said further arrests were likely, and that officers from Wellington and the Central District would be deployed, if more activity wa expected this weekend.
Hato Hone St John said it "responded to a number of incidents across Levin, Koputaroa, Tiakitahuna and Shannon overnight related to a large gathering".
"Our crews assessed and treated a total of three patients from three incidents, one in a serious condition and two in a moderate condition, who were transported to Palmerston North hospital."
On 1 June, 2024, a gathering of more than 200 people and cars in Levin turned violent, with a crowd blocking the town's main street and officers reporting projectiles thrown at them.
Earlier this month, the government announced stiffer punishments for those convicted of offences related to boy-racing and for drivers who fail to stop for police.
Those caught doing burnouts, or taking part in unauthorised street racing or intimidating convoys faced vehicle destruction as a presumptive sentence, while fines for making excess noise from a vehicle were also raised.
At the time of the announcement, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said New Zealanders were sick and tired of seeing "idiot drivers" put the community at risk.
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