Photo: 123RF
Four people have been arrested after firearms in Gisborne late Saturday night that left two people injured.
Police said shots were first reported around 11.45pm on Taruheru Crescent in Mangapapa, where gunfire was allegedly directed at a house from a passing vehicle.
Shortly afterwards, someone in the same vehicle is believed to have fired one or two rounds at an occupied car on Valley Road.
Police located the suspect vehicle on Lytton Road and attempted to stop it, but the driver fled. A pursuit followed through the Elgin area, ending when the car was stopped near the intersection of Awapuni Road and Lytton Road.
Four males - aged 15, 16, 28, and 36 - were arrested and have each been charged with discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Further charges are expected as the investigation continues.
Officers also recovered a firearm and other items that were reportedly thrown from the car during the chase.
"My message to all involved in this kind of offending is that this has to stop," Inspector Danny Kirk said.
"Two people were injured as a result of the shots fired... at the house, one seriously, and we could very easily have been dealing with one or more fatalities."
Kirk commended the bravery of frontline officers "who made a conscious decision to put themselves in harm's way to apprehend those involved in this senseless violence".
The four accused were due to appear in Gisborne District Court on Monday.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly cited a police statement which said the two people injured were in a house on Taruheru Crescent. Police later said the injuries occurred in connection with the shots fired at a vehicle on Valley Road.
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