KEY POINTS:
West Auckland councillors will meet police to look at ways of dealing with youth violence in the area following a vicious attack on Saturday night.
Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey said he would meet police, the local community board and the ratepayers association to discuss the attack in Te Atatu North which left an 18-year-old youth in a critical condition.
Isaiah Wall of Hamilton is in a coma and on life support in Waitakere Hospital.
Six teenagers were arrested following the violent attack, which was believed to have involved the use of bottles and lengths of timber.
Detective Inspector Steve Wood of Waitemata police said the youths were not members of organised criminal gangs as such but were associating with recognised youth gangs and wearing their colours.
Mayor Harvey said the community needed to discuss how to deal with youth violence.
"We do have a problem with violent outbreaks in Waitakere as such and we regard this as a very violent incident and very serious."
He said he was shocked by the incident, and said it was uncharacteristic in that particular part of Te Atatu North, as it was an area where most people were well past retirement.
The six teenagers were initially charged with fighting but when they appeared in the Waitakere District Court yesterday they faced counts of wounding with intent to injure.
All were remanded on strict bail conditions to reappear in the same court on November 12.
They were all granted interim name suppression.
Mr Wood said Mr Wall's coma was not drug-induced.
About 25 youths were believed to be involved in the brawl.
Mr Wood said police were still keen to talk to anyone who saw the fight.
In another clash in West Auckland late on Friday night a teenager was stabbed in a New Lynn shopping centre carpark.
The police Eagle helicopter, a police dog and patrol cars hunted for a teenager seen running from the scene but were unable to find him.
- NZPA
