A Whakatane man has been arrested and charged with assaulting a four-year-old boy for wearing a red shirt, in an apparent gang-related incident.
The incident happened in Whakatane's Cutler Crescent Park on 6 May when a man wearing blue clothing allegedly shouted at the pre-schooler to take off his red shirt, then forcibly removed it.
The police have said the man was initially thought to have been a member of the Black Power gang, but may have just been part of a "wannabe" youth group.
A 21-year-old Whakatane man was due to appear in Whakatane
District Court on Saturday.
