An ambulance called to an assault could not treat those involved out of safety for their staff.
St John was called to an assault on a Mckenzie St address in Whakatāne by a member of the public.
A spokeswoman said staff did not treat any patients "due to the nature of the event" and instead called police.
Police were called to the address at 7.30pm regarding a person being assaulted and arrived 20 minutes later.
A police media spokeswoman said it was not yet clear what the nature of the assault was.
