Person in critical condition after alleged assault outside Christchurch bar

A person is seriously injured and a bouncer was reportedly knocked unconscious during a night of violence in Christchurch.

A police spokesperson said they were called to a bar on Hereford St after a person was reportedly assaulted outside at 1am on Sunday.

The offender had fled by the time the police arrived and was unable to be found.

The victim was taken to hospital in critical condition and inquiries into the incident were ongoing, the spokesperson said.

Rockpool owner Peter Whittaker confirmed a serious assault had taken place on the street outside the bar.

Staff had reviewed security camera footage and handed it over to police.

Whittaker said the footage showed a man crossing the street where he was then attacked “multiple times”. He thought the man may have also been put in a choke hold.

He had also heard a bouncer was knocked unconscious at another bar on nearby Oxford Tce on the same night.

There had been an upsurge in aggressive behaviour in the last couple of weeks, he said.