Two teenagers have been charged over serious assaults in an Invercargill park where the victims were lured using dating apps.
The late night assaults in the city's Queens Park earlier this month left one victim in critical care and the other in a serious condition.
A 15-year-old male has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and a 17-year-old male has been charged with aggravated robbery causing grievous bodily harm.
Both appeared in the Invercargill Youth Court today.
These arrests relate specifically to the Queens Park assaults, Acting Inspector Mel Robertson said.
The arrests follow four youths already being charged for related crimes.
The four youths are accused of using a gay dating app to target a victim whose Invercargill home they allegedly then tried to force their way into.
The male teens, aged 15 and 16, appeared in Invercargill’s Youth Court before Judge Russell Walker on Friday, each charged with burglary with a weapon.
"Across all incidents identified, police have observed a consistent and highly concerning pattern of behaviour, where victims have been deliberately lured using dating applications and then violently assaulted.
"This reinforces the serious, deliberate nature of this offending," Acting Inspector Robertson said.
Police remained focused on identifying all those involved and further enforcement action was likely as enquiries continued.
Police earlier confirmed they are investigating links between the assaults and a compilation video posted to social media which has a caption claiming it is a group of young men "exposing predators" in Invercargill.
The video has three separate clips with groups of youths surrounding and/or chasing a person.
The first clip, which appears to be filmed at night in Queens Park, shows a youth running after a young male and then pinning them to the ground.
The pursuer then asks whether the male had come to the park to meet a 15-year-old.
The second shows a trio of youths chasing someone who escapes into their ute. As the person drives away the group attack the vehicle.
The third shows a pack attack at Invercargill shopping centre where a victim is kicked in the head and hit multiple times.
- Allied Media
