Police have been dispatched to Tauranga City following reports that a planned mass brawl branded 'Battle of the Hoods' may be relocated from Hamilton to Bayfair Shopping Centre.
Earlier today, a badly spelt poster for a "battle of the hoods" warned parents and students in Hamilton about the fight; weapons are supposedly allowed.
“Stab for stab,” the poster says.
The threat of relocation has prompted the region's top cop to advise people not to travel to Tauranga City this afternoon.
“Like with anything, it’s hard to ascertain the veracity of that [relocation] information but there has been some concerns from different members of the community about this.” Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton said.
According to the original poster the punch up would start at the Hamilton Bus Depot and continue “all around town”, although the relocation has since spread widely on social media.
“We are organising additional staff around Bayfair and other parts of the city this afternoon. The deployment will be throughout the city, while Bayfair is an obvious focus." Paxton said.
“We are taking extra steps to ensure the safety of our community but if you don’t have to go to the likes of Bayfair tonight, postpone it for another time.”
More to come...
