Police investigate officer's alleged assault on teenager

Police are looking into allegations that an officer assaulted a 15-year-old boy in Napier, Hawke’s Bay. The incident happened in the early hours of March 16 after a stolen car was found crashed. Four young people were arrested as they tried to escape the scene. The mother of one of the arrested teens posted on Facebook about her son's experience. She claims he confessed to wrongdoing but was then mistreated by the police. According to her, he was punched and had his face slammed into the ground, resulting in a broken jaw. She also mentioned that it took a change of officers at the police station for someone to notice her son's injuries. He was later taken to Hastings Hospital and then transferred to Wellington for surgery. The police are continuing to investigate the claims.