Police are making progress in identifying two men who brutally attacked a mother and son in Awatoto on Wednesday night in a home invasion.
Local crayfisherman Chayse Hansen, 19, had been enjoying a quiet night watching television after a month at sea when two men with covered faces walked into the room carrying a hammer and and iron bar.
"They swung low with the iron bar into my knee and I fell over," Mr Hansen said. His kneecap was broken.
"They kept saying 'where's the money, where's the leathers,' and kept hitting me."
"I kept saying 'I don't know,' and they thought I was lying - they then hammered me in the back of the head."
A dazed Mr Hansen was forced to walk from room to room on his broken knee and quizzed about where anything of value may have been and the whereabouts of bags to put stolen items into.
"One person was running stuff out of the house, down the driveway and he'd come back quite fast so he was probably dropping stuff off at the end of the house and another person was grabbing it from there.
"Then my mum pulled up and they started hammering the car and her inside it."
His mother also had her car keys taken and needed surgery to her arm.
"My neighbour heard all the screaming and came over and they took off with him after them running, then he drove after them."
Detective Sergeant Emmet Lynch of Napier police said the occupants of the house said they had no issues with anyone so were confused by the attack.
"Because of the specific nature of the demands it would appear the offenders had some specific information about the occupants or the address," he said.
Many household items were taken, including a laptop, a camera and a PlayStation 3.
A very large plasma TV was left behind.
The men were last seen near the Maraenui Golf Club grounds on Te Awa Rd.
Police were seeking two offenders, one was described as a male Maori, aged 30-35, of medium build, clean shaven with a round face and hair in a bob-type cut to just above collar length with streaks of orange.
The second offender is a male Maori of medium build and of unknown age.
"We have a reasonable line of enquiry to identify a possible offender and there will be more work carried out over the weekend," Mr Lynch said.
Police also sought information on a red coupe, similar in style to a Mitsubishi Cordia, which neighbours described as acting suspiciously in Waitangi Rd about the same time as the incident.
Any information can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Mum, son beaten in home invasion
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