Auckland teen assault: police search for woman dressed in black

Police are asking for the public's help in identifying a woman dressed in black and carrying a suitcase in connection with an attack on a 16-year-old student last week.

Jason was on a bus travelling from Howick to Auckland City along Pakuranga Road to play basketball with friends, when an unknown woman began hitting him with a metal rod while shouting racist abuse.

He suffered serious facial injuries and is now missing several teeth.

A 75-year-old passenger intervened to stop the attack near Williams Ave in Pakuranga, Jason said.

The woman got off the bus shortly afterwards and fled.

Police have now released CCTV footage of a woman of interest.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant James Mapp said the woman boarded a bus at a stop on Pakuranga Road, at the intersection with Johns Lane.

“Police are keen to hear from anyone who may know who this woman is or has any information about her identity and I would ask anyone who knows who she is to get in touch.

“We are also interested in hearing from anyone who witnessed the incident and has not yet come forward.”

Mapp said police were still investigating why the offender did what she did and could not say whether it was a hate crime.

“The police continue to not tolerate any form of crime or intimidation in our communities.

“We are working with Auckland Transport on a range of issues and we will continue to do so to prevent incidents like this or in response to situations like this.”

Support continued to be provided to the victim.

“We continue to encourage people to report all crimes to the police rather than taking matters into their own hands, as this can put you at risk.”