Police have raided a house and seized shoes and a cellphone as they close in on teenagers involved in the 'drown him' assault case.
The teenager was brutally beaten up in Rolleston, Canterbury, before being dragged to a water race and pushed under.
Senior Sergeant Pete Stills said the boy "received a real pasting".
"His eyes were swollen shut and he needed stitches for a pretty serious gash underneath his chin.
"It was a harrowing attack by a group on a lone individual, completely unprovoked and cowardly."
Four youths approached the 15-year-old on Tennyson St, Rolleston, at 10.30pm on Saturday 4th November and demanded his cap, Stills said.
He had been at a fireworks show in Foster Park.
When he refused to hand over the cap, the group repeatedly punched him and kicked him on the ground.
They dragged him to a nearby water drain and held his head under the water.
Then in an appalling move, some in the group urged the others to drown him.
"We are unsure how long he was underwater for," said Stills.
"At one stage he believed he was going to be drowned."
The teenager eventually broke free and tried to run home.
The teenager's mother, who did not want to be named, said he collapsed near their house and caught the attention of the neighbour, who brought him home.
"I didn't recognise him, I thought 'who the hell are you'," she said.
"He couldn't talk and his mouth was full of blood."
They called 111 and he was taken to Christchurch Hospital.
Police have been tight-lipped over their investigation since the attack was revealed last month.
But yesterday they confirmed a search warrant was executed on a Rolleston property last week.
"Police have executed a search warrant in regard to this matter as we continue to gather evidence," a spokeswoman said.
"Police have identified people of interest and no one else is being sought. Police are continuing to support the victim."
The Star has learned shoes and a cellphone were seized.
But police would not discuss any specifics of what was taken in the raid.
The teenager was assaulted when he allegedly refused to hand over his cap after he was confronted by four other teenagers on Tennyson St at about 10.30pm on November 4.
- Star.kiwi
