15-year-old boy injured in ‘large’ teen brawl at Burleigh Heads

A brawl involving a large group of teenagers at Burleigh Heads has left a boy in hospital and two others with injuries. Read what happened.

A boy was hospitalised and two others injured during a teen brawl at Burleigh Heads on Australia Day.

The punch-up at about 8.30pm on January 26 near The Esplanade is the subject of a criminal investigation, with police combing through CCTV footage.

“Three teenage boys were walking through Justin Park when an altercation occurred between them and a large group of juveniles,” a Queensland Police Service spokesman told the Bulletin.

“It is alleged a male from the group punched and kicked one of the teenage boys. The victims’ friends also sustained injuries due to the group assaulting them.”

The juveniles ran off in different directions when responding officers arrived on scene.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said a 15-year-old boy was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital with potentially life-threatening head and facial injuries.

Police are appealing for anyone in the area at the time of the incident, who may have CCTV or dashcam footage, to come forward.

The incident occurred not far from where Cameron Duce was allegedly assaulted in Burleigh Heads during a night out with friends on September 22. Picture: Facebook

It’s understood the fight occurred directly opposite the Burleigh Heads Hotel and just a couple of hundred metres from where 22-year-old Cameron Duce was allegedly fatally struck in September.

He was found by members of the public lying on the ground at First Ave near the corner of The Esplanade with a serious head injury at around 2.30am on September 22 and rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition. He died a week later.

Austin Lewis Blaney Ballard has been charged with unlawful striking which allegedly caused Mr Duce’s death.

The incident prompted public outrage over the deteriorating crime issues at Burleigh Heads and led to an election commitment by the state MP Hermann Vorster and the LNP for a multimillion dollar community safety plan. A permanent police beat is on the way and council’s CCTV network will be expanded as part of the $4.1 million package.

Originally published as 15-year-old boy injured in ‘large’ teen brawl at Burleigh Heads