A teenage boy has died following a fight near the Dunedin Central police station this afternoon.
The 16-year-old was on the ground being attended to by ambulance staff and police shortly after 3pm on Great King St.
He was later transported to the hospital in a serious condition and died this evening, police confirmed in a statement shortly after 8pm.
“This is an incredibly tragic situation for all involved and we are working to support the victim’s family, who are understandably distraught at the sudden and violent loss of their loved one,” Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis.
“We’re aware that people in the area around the bus hub on Great King Street may have photos or video footage of the incident.”
A teenage male was taken into custody immediately following the incident and will appear in court tomorrow.
Police ask that anyone with photos or videos, along with anyone who witnessed the incident unfold, contact Dunedin Police via 105, quoting file number 240523/3321.
A group of young people were at the scene speaking to police. Some were in tears.
A witness told the Herald they saw a fight and was later told that someone had been stabbed.
The incident occurred at the Dunedin bus hub, where hundreds of school pupils were gathered.
Groups of people have been taken into the police station. Youths have been heard speaking about a video of the incident circulating online.
A spokesperson for Hato Hone St John said they were notified at 3.08pm today, responding with one ambulance and one manager.
Any other information had to come from police, they said.
Conflict at the Dunedin bus hub
Today’s incident is the latest in a string of assaults at the Dunedin bus hub since it opened in 2019.
In 2022, a Dunedin man was arrested after he attacked a pedestrian and punched an 83-year-old man in the face outside the central Dunedin police station.
The 45-year-old pushed a 63-year-old man into the street of the Great King St bus hub on October 26, 2022, before straddling the victim and repeatedly punching him in the head, as well as inflicting kicks to the torso.
When an 83-year-old bystander tried to intervene the offender punched him in the head as well.
In November last year, a man was punched and kicked by a drunk in a racially motivated attack at the bus hub.
