A group of men who took to a 21-year-old who had been sitting in his car at the Guppy Rd riverbank at Taradale on Sunday afternoon got more than they bargained for when he fought back.
As Detective Glen Restieaux explained - "he is ex-German Army so he defended himself pretty well".
However, as the young man, who is understood to be travelling the country and has been working in Hawke's Bay, took on his assailants one took him on from behind and he felt a sharp blow to his shoulder.
One of them asked for a smoke, in a gruff way and he responded with something like 'only if you say please'.
It was not until a short time later after he had driven to a friend's house that he became aware the pain in the shoulder had increased and he realised there was blood there.