Arrests follow Wanganui party death

Two men have been arrested in connection with a brawl in Wanganui that resulted in the death of a teenager after a party yesterday.

The 19-year-old service station worker is expected to be named today after his family, who live locally, has been notified.

Wanganui police, already stretched after a week of gang violence, brought in reinforcements to cope with the crime escalation in the city.

Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Bensemann said yesterday's homicide was not related to recent gang problems between Hells Angels and the Mongrel Mob, which have left one man in a serious condition in hospital. Armed patrols have been on the streets in Wanganui for the past five days.

Mr Bensemann said the dead man had been at a farewell party at Glasgow St when a brawl broke out just after midnight on Friday.

About 15-20 people, aged mostly in their 20s, were drinking at the party. Mr Bensemann said an argument broke out on the doorstep and spilled on to the street.

A neighbour, who declined to be named, said she was woken by a car backfiring. She dozed off but was disturbed by car doors slamming and loud voices.

The neighbour said when she was on the phone to police she saw a group of between six and eight young people fighting on the doorstep of the Glasgow St house. "It was pretty violent stuff."

The woman said she didn't see any weapons.

"It was all over in five minutes from the spilling out of the house to the first police car arriving."

Neighbour Adrienne Hamilton said she was disturbed by people arguing and by banging noises. When she heard the sirens she went outside and saw a young man lying on his back in the street, she said.

"I went down and had a look at him, there wasn't a whole heap of blood. He was just lying there unconscious," Ms Hamilton said.

Ambulance staff tried to resuscitate the man.

Police cordoned off two blocks of the suburb, and spent the day interviewing partygoers and neighbours.

Mr Bensemann said police had not yet confirmed how the man died. "There were no obvious injuries," he said. The body was last night taken to Auckland for examination. Another neighbour, Lester Goff, said he woke at 3am to begin a shift at the freezing works but found his car cordoned off with police tape and a body lying next to it.

Mr Goff thought the people living at the house moved in about three months ago.

"The ones around here, they move in and out."

Police last night had not removed the cordon, and the scene was still being guarded.

* A 19-year-old man charged with common assault and a 30 year-old man charged with disorderly behaviour will appear in the Wanganui District Court on March 9.

-HERALD ON SUNDAY