Baseball bats, knife used in New Year's Brawl

CEDAR RAPIDS - Four people were injured in New Year's Day brawl that involved a knife and baseball bats at a Cedar Rapids residence, police said.

Just after midnight Friday, officers responded to a report of a fight at 630 Ninth Ave. SE. Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said a 21-year-old male suffered a severe laceration to his arm and was taken by ambulance to Mercy Medical Center. A 43-year-old man also appeared to have broken ribs but declined medical treatment at the scene, according to the police report.

The injuries of the man who was taken to Mercy were not considered life-threatening, Hamblin said. A 21-year-old female and a 36-year-old male also suffered bruises.

None of the victims wanted to pursue charges, though, Hamblin said. Names of the people involved were not released.

“A lot of times what happens when they don't want to pursue charges is that either they are afraid of retaliation or they're going to even the score,” Hamblin said. “And that just leads to stupidity.”

Details about what prompted the fight were not known, Hamblin said. An investigation is continuing.

“We're only getting one side of it,” Hamblin said.