Two more Aucklanders arrested after Pt England gang brawl, death of Head Hunter Charles Pongi

Two more men have been arrested on non-homicide-related charges regarding a large gang fracas at an Auckland park last year that is alleged to have resulted in the death of Head Hunters member Charles Pongi.

Four people, all with interim name suppression, were jointly charged in November with participating in Pongi’s murder during the large-scale August 5 brawl in Pt England, which is believed to have involved dozens of gang members affiliated with the Head Hunters, Rebels and Crips gangs.

All have pleaded not guilty and are set for trial in August next year.

A fifth man was charged in November with two non-homicide firearms offences, including the alleged discharge of a firearm in an attempt to intimidate Head Hunters members.

This week’s charges, involving two men aged 23 and 33, bring the tally of arrests related to the gathering to seven.

“These charges have been laid as a result of the determined work by investigators into the violent events that took place at the time in Taurima Reserve,” a police spokesman told the Herald today.

They are jointly charged with wounding two other men - not Pongi - with reckless disregard for the safety of others. If convicted on the charges, they could face up to seven years’ imprisonment.

The 23-year-old, a Pt England resident, was scheduled to appear at Auckland District Court yesterday, while the 33-year-old is set to appear later this week.

Authorities have said Pongi, 32, was shot during the planned brawl but was able to drive himself to Auckland City Hospital before succumbing to the wound. It is believed at least 20 shots were fired during the confrontation, which took place on a Saturday afternoon.

Two weeks after Pongi’s death, a large group of police officers stood outside the Head Hunters’ pad in Ellerslie, attempting to keep tensions in check as a large motorcycle convoy to Ōnehunga preceded his funeral.

Police investigated the confrontation for more than three months before filing the first set of charges.

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.