Two teenagers and an adult man have been arrested after a 75-year-old man was left with serious head injuries during a violent burglary in Hamilton on Monday night.
District Operations Manager, Inspector John Kelly said police were called to an address in north Hamilton after people heard a disturbance andwent to investigate.
"It appears a 75-year-old man has disturbed three people breaking into his garage and stealing tools and a barbeque," said Mr Kelly.
"The victim has attempted to stop them and in the process been struck to the head with what we believe was a large set of bolt cutters, he was taken to Waikato Hospital with serious head injuries where he remains at this time."
Mr Kelly said in addition to raising the alarm members of the public prevented one of the offenders leaving the scene and arriving police staff tracked the other two to a nearby property with the aid of a police dog.
"As a result a 22-year-old man, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were arrested and charged with burglary and aggravated wounding and all three are due to reappear in the Hamilton District Court on 30 December.
"There are two things that are apparent from this incident, one the importance of if you see or hear something suspicious to contact police and the other is once again parents need to know where their children are because, as in this case, they could be involved in very serious matters."
