Stabbed man still in coma but improving

A man stabbed during a youth gang brawl in the south Auckland suburb of Onehunga on Sunday remains in a coma today.

Police said today the 21-year-old should survive, although he was very lucky.

The man was stabbed several times early on Sunday morning when tensions between two youth gangs spilled over and they began fighting.

One man had already appeared in court on a charge of assault and police were looking for another man, believed to be a tall Polynesian in his late teens or early 20s.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Berry from the Glenn Innes police said the victim was still in a medically induced coma but was improving after deteriorating soon after he was taken to hospital.

He said police now believed his life was no longer under threat from his wounds although he was at risk from infection and may be troubled by the amount of blood he had lost.

The victim was not a member of either feuding gang but he associated with people from one of the gangs and was caught in the fray when the two gangs began fighting.

Mr Berry appealed for help from anyone who knew of anyone who came home with blood on their clothes early on Sunday morning. They also want to hear about a white Mitsubishi Galant car that may be linked to the attack.

- NZPA