Strangers pull masked teens off girls in 'distressing' bus depot attack

A school holiday bus trip turned violent after two Auckland schoolgirls were allegedly punched and abused by a group of masked and gloved female teens at a city bus depot. 

One of the teenage victims required hospital treatment and suffered a concussion, a black eye and had clumps of hair ripped from her head after allegedly being beaten as she lay on the ground. 

Members of the public intervened, and police caught the masked teenagers as they fled on another bus. 

One of the victims told the Herald the unprovoked assault had shaken her up “quite a bit”. 

“Most people assume that people who get jumped, there is a reason for it. But I think it’s more scary because it could happen to anyone.” 

She said she no longer felt safe using public transport in West Auckland. 

“There is no need for this violence.” 

Police confirmed a 14-year-old female and two 15-year-old females were taken into custody after the incident on Monday and referred to Youth Aid. 

“Police acknowledge this would have been a highly distressing incident for the victims and want to assure them that this kind of violence will not be tolerated,” Acting Senior Sergeant Christian Iogha said. 

The girl’s mother, who the Herald agreed not to name, said her daughter and a friend were approached by a group of teens on a West Auckland bus on Monday. 

She said the two groups started chatting and the alleged attackers asked the friend where she got her shoes and whether they could try them on. 

“She said no.” 

When her daughter and the friend changed buses, the other group had followed them on to a bus into the city. 

The group again sat near the two girls, before tying their hair back in buns and donning medical gloves, the mother said. 

The two girls feared for their safety but stayed on the bus hoping the other group would get off. 

When the bus arrived at the Albert St depot, everyone was told to disembark, and the three girls put on facemasks and hoodies, the mother said. 

The masked teens then approached the girls and made false accusations, before one of the teens began swinging at her daughter and punching her, the mother alleged. 

Her daughter tried to defend herself using a handbag. 

The three alleged attackers then turned on the daughter’s friend and began assaulting her on the ground, the mother said. 

“My daughter was screaming, ‘Help me, help me’, so people came and were pulling the other girls off [the friend].” 

The daughter grabbed her friend’s hand and lifted her on to another bus. 

“My daughter shouted, ‘Don’t let them on’. [However], the bus driver didn’t react in time, or the girls got on too quickly.” 

Other passengers intervened, removing the alleged attackers from the bus and calling police. 

The mother said the bus began moving, but police advised the girls via phone to stop the bus and get off. 

The three alleged offenders were found on another bus and taken into custody. 

“They had gloves and masks and kind of knew what they were doing to avoid the CCTV,” the mother claimed. 

She said it felt sinister that the teens had left home with the items they allegedly used during the assault. 

The two girls gave statements at a police station before the friend was taken to hospital. 

“The other girl was actually in a lot worse condition. 

“She’s got concussion now, and they had to do a CT scan because the doctor was worried they might have broken her eye socket.” 

The mother praised the intervention of strangers for stopping the incident from escalating. 

“I am just so thankful, I am amazed. Because how many times do you see people not doing anything ... I almost want to cry, I’m so thankful.” 

The mother was also grateful for police action in holding the alleged culprits to account. 

While there was a push for more public transport use, the mother felt the services were not safe. 

“There’s a lot of things happening at bus stops.” 

‘Doesn’t feel safe’ 

The father of the other victim said his daughter was traumatised by the assault but is now recovering at home. 

“She’s got a black eye, she’s got whiplash in her neck, and they pulled big clumps of hair off the back of her neck. 

“It’s sad really that Auckland’s not safe for youth to go out and have fun in the school holidays.” 

He felt powerless when he learned of the alleged attack and felt more monitoring was needed on buses. 

“There’s not really any safe place for them to be catching public transport any more.” 

The father and his partner would now spend more time and energy dropping off and picking up their children. 

“It just doesn’t feel safe out there in Auckland any more.” 

His advice to other parents was to know where their kids are going and always have a line of communication with them. 

The incident was a “wake-up call”, he said. 

Violent incidents on public transport ‘rare’: AT 

Police confirmed the victims had been on a bus when they were approached by three youths, one of whom asked to try on the victim’s property. 

A verbal exchange escalated into violence after the two groups got off the bus. 

“Members of the public witnessed the assault and intervened to provide the victims assistance. One of the victims received moderate injuries and was transported to hospital for assessment,” Iogha said. 

Three youths were taken into custody and referred to Youth Aid. 

The Auckland Transport (AT) executive general manager network planning and performance, Richard Harrison, said AT was aware of the incident, but could not discuss it in detail because the matter was before the courts. 

Police were using CCTV footage as part of their investigation, which AT would not release to media. 

“Our thoughts are with those affected, and we understand that some members of the public helped to provide support to the victims, which we are grateful for,” Harrison said. 

“Every single person who travels on AT’s bus, train and ferry services deserves to travel safely. Aucklanders take more than 1.8 million trips on public transport each week, and incidents like these are rare and a reflection of broader society, but are totally unacceptable to our team at AT and the communities we serve.” 

Harrison said reported incidents of violence, threats and aggression on public transport were down 47% in August 2026 (18) compared with August 2025 (34).