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Two brutal public assaults in Rotorua within half an hour of each other have shocked witnesses.
But the witnesses have also questioned the behaviour of passersby who drove by without doing anything to help, or while taking pictures and videos - an act one witness found "disgusting".
On Sunset Rd just after 4pm on Tuesday, a witness saw a man beaten by a group of men, some wielding steel poles.
The witness, who went to help with her husband despite having children in her car, said she was shocked more than 20 cars drove past but no one else stopped.
The second incident happened about 4.30pm on Turner Drive. Witnesses reported a man was punched to the ground and left to lie unconscious for about 10 minutes while cars drove past taking videos and photos.
A man lay unconscious on the ground for about 10 minutes, a witness said. Photo / Supplied
Police have said it was possible the two incidents were linked. A spokesman said no formal complaints had been made and police were struggling to find witnesses.
In the Sunset Rd incident, both the group of men and the man being assaulted left before police got there, the spokesman said.
A witness to that assault, who didn't want to be named, told the Rotorua Daily Post the beating took place near the intersection with Wrigley Rd. She saw a man hit numerous times by three men.
A van was parked on the side of the road and the offenders took out weapons and used them to assault the man, she said.
"The assault only stopped because my car pulled up behind them and my husband tried to talk to the men assaulting the guy. They then surrounded my car and indicated for us to leave."
The woman said they didn't leave but another group of about eight men, who appeared to be known to the offenders, arrived and also started assaulting the man.
She called police but she said they didn't arrive until later, when it was all over.
"Those assaulting the man then drove off at speed towards Ford Rd up Sunset. They briefly stopped on the corner of Sunset and Ford Rd to let a person out. At this stage, the victim was trying to get out of the van. A person climbing out then further assaulted the person and the van drove at speed down Ford Rd."
She and her husband lost sight of the van, which was being driven erratically and at speed.
A woman said the incident appeared gang-related and she could understand why people didn't stop.
"Twenty cars passed the scene and didn't stop for fear of being beaten up, it's that simple. How can a person risk their safety when a person is holding a steel pole?
"I stopped and I was scared. I had kids in the car it could have easily escalated. But if every car stopped [they] would have outnumbered the gang associates."
Inspector Phil Taikato. Photo / Andrew Warner
A Turner Dr witness told the Rotorua Daily Post they heard a man in a distressed state crying and yelling. She said he was walking along Turner Dr yelling "yoza" and banging on fences.
Another man approached and punched him once to the head. The assaulted man fell motionless to the ground, the witness said.
A woman driving on Turner Dr said she was shocked to see what happened but had her child in the car and was torn between helping the man on the ground and getting involved in something she thought could have been gang-related.
She drove up the road about 100m and called police and watched for about 10 minutes in her rearview mirror.
She said other cars that she believed were gang-linked arrived and were photographing and videoing the man on the ground out of their windows.
"What if that was their whānau member? ... It was disgusting."
The woman said she left when she saw police arrive.
Rotorua police area commander Inspector Phil Taikato said there were varying reports on social media about what had happened to the man in Sunset Rd but nothing had been reported to police.
He said witnesses were incredibly helpful and they should always call police first if it was safe to do so.
He encouraged people to note as many details as possible but never put their own safety at risk.
