Three seriously injured in baseball bat attack

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Police are trying to trace the movements of a car believed to be linked to a serious baseball bat assault that put three Gisborne people in hospital with serious injuries.

The most seriously injured, a man, is in a serious but stable condition in Waikato Hospital. A woman is in Gisborne Hospital in a stable condition. The third, a man, suffered head lacerations and was discharged from hospital on Saturday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Scott said the three were injured during an incident in the Gisborne suburb of Kaiti on Saturday morning.

"A maroon-coloured Mazda 2 with two men and a woman in it, arrived at a house at about 2.30am on Saturday morning," he said.

"After a verbal altercation with the two men and a woman at the house, one of the men from the vehicle allegedly assaulted the people at the house with a baseball bat.

"All three of the residents were seriously hurt," Mr Scott said. "The most seriously injured man suffered a fractured skull and brain swelling. The other male in the house had multiple lacerations to his head and the woman received serious facial fractures."

The man with the fractured skull was flown to Waikato Hospital on Saturday for surgery.

"He is in a serious but stable condition," Mr Scott said. "The injured woman will go to Waikato later this week also for surgery."

The car allegedly involved was recovered later on the other side of the city.

"The vehicle, registration number is GGT75, was reported stolen from Opotiki on Friday evening," Mr Scott said.

"We would like to hear from anyone who knows the identity of the three people who were in it," he said.

"We would also like to hear from anyone who saw the vehicle between 5pm on Friday and 6pm on Saturday either on State Highway 2 between Opotiki and Gisborne or in Gisborne itself."

They can contact Gisborne police station on (06) 869-0200 or the information can be supplied confidentially to the Crimestoppers line 0800-555-111.