Two brothers have been taken into custody after allegedly threatening a migrant family with a machete in Dunedin, according to police, Stuff has reported. The incident, which police believe to be racially motivated, occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Monday in a suburban area of the city, said Acting Senior Sergeant Simon Reay.
The brothers, aged 29 and 31, along with a 29-year-old male associate, reportedly approached a neighbouring property to "intimidate and threaten" a Middle Eastern family. The trio allegedly brought a metre-long machete to the confrontation, leaving the family shaken and terrified.
According to police, the altercation was triggered by a misunderstanding. One member of the migrant family was speaking to a relative on the phone earlier, which the suspects allegedly mistook as an attempt to film them.
Police promptly arrested the three men, who remained in custody overnight and were scheduled to appear in the Dunedin District Court on Tuesday. The investigation is ongoing, and police continue to assess the incident’s motivations and circumstances.