hawaii
Good Samaritans hailed as heroes after saving girl from kidnapper in Hawaii restaurant
- A 15-year-old girl who was abducted at knifepoint in Hawaii last week was rescued over the weekend by a restaurant host and a customer who jumped into action.
- Mikella Debina and her boyfriend were on a secluded beach in the area of Anaehoomalu Bay near Waikoloa Beach Drive when a man held them at knifepoint.
- The girl was forced to tie her boyfriend up and put a blindfold on him, the victim’s aunt told police.
- An AMBER Alert was issued after local news outlets shared an image of Debina.
- The girl has since been reunited with her family, and her mother is thankful to everyone who stepped in to help her daughter.
A 15-year-old girl who was abducted at knifepoint in Hawaii last week was rescued over the weekend by a restaurant host and a customer who jumped into action after recognizing her from local news reports.
Mikella DeBina and her boyfriend were on a secluded beach in the area of Anaehoomalu Bay near Waikoloa Beach Drive when a man held them at knifepoint and forced the girl to tie her boyfriend up and put a blindfold on him, the victim’s aunt told police.
Man shot in the chest with arrow in Honolulu Chinatown
- A man in his 50s was reportedly shot in the chest “with some kind of arrow” on Wednesday in Honolulu’s Chinatown.
- The victim was transported to a trauma hospital in serious condition.
- No arrests have been made, as of press time.
An attempted murder investigation is underway after a man was shot in the chest with an arrow in Honolulu’s Chinatown in Hawaii.
A man in his 50s was reportedly shot in the chest “with some kind of arrow” at around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday on North Hotel Street, according to the Honolulu Police Department.
Hawaii awarded $3.5 million to lead national mental health center for AANHPI
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded Hawaii’s Department of Health nearly $3.5 million to create the AANHPI Behavioral Health Center of Excellence.
- The first-of-its-kind national center will promote “culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health information and practices” and form a leading committee that will identify issues and provide training, assistance and consultation to practitioners, educators and community organizations.
- The Center of Excellence will also provide materials that disaggregate data by race and ethnicity, which is critical to exposing ethnic disparities and dismantling perceptions of AANHPIs as a monolith.
- The Hawaii DOH also received $700,000 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to be used for the center.
- The initiative supports the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of improving AANHPI health, which began last year with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded Hawaii’s Department of Health (DOH) nearly $3.5 million to create a national center focused on the mental health needs of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI).
The first-of-its-kind institution will officially be called the AANHPI Behavioral Health Center of Excellence. According to a news release, it will promote “culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health information and practices” and form a leading committee that will identify issues and provide training, assistance and consultation to practitioners, educators and community organizations.
Honolulu police arrest man for deadly shooting of woman at Chinatown bus stop
- Tony Johnson, a 58-year-old man, was arrested on River Street in Honolulu’s Chinatown at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday.
- Johnson has been accused of murdering a 24-year-old woman at a bus stop in Chinatown on Aug. 19.
- The victim was reportedly with her husband when they got into an altercation with an unidentified man. Another man then showed up during the argument and shot the woman in the head, according to reports.
- As of Wednesday, Johnson has yet to be charged.
- He and the victim were acquaintances, according to Lt. Deena Thoemmes of the Honolulu Police Department’s Homicide Detail.
The Honolulu Police Department has arrested a man in connection with the deadly shooting that occurred at a Chinatown bus stop on Friday.
Tony Johnson, 58, was arrested on River Street in Honolulu’s Chinatown at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday on suspicion of second-degree murder and firearms offenses, according to police.
24-year-old woman fatally shot in the head at Chinatown bus stop in Hawaii
- A 24-year-old woman was fatally shot at a Chinatown bus stop in Honolulu, Hawaii, shortly after 11 p.m. on Aug. 19.
- The woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition. She later died at around 2:30 a.m. the next day.
- The case, which was first investigated as attempted murder, has been reclassified to second-degree murder.
- The investigation is currently ongoing. No arrests have been made.
- Police believe that the incident was not a random act.
A woman was fatally shot at a Chinatown bus stop in Honolulu, Hawaii, in what authorities are classifying as a second-degree murder.
The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) initially classified the case as attempted murder in the second degree when the 24-year-old woman was shot in the head while sitting at a bus stop shortly after 11 p.m. near the corner of Hotel Street and River Street on Aug. 19.
Police arrest machete-wielding man in Honolulu Chinatown; suspects who struck him with SUV wanted for attempted murder
- The Honolulu Police Department arrested a 30-year-old man who was wielding a machete in Chinatown in Honolulu on Monday night on suspicion of first degree terroristic threatening.
- The man threatened three people with a machete during an altercation in North Beretania Street at about 9:50 p.m., according to the police.
- In footage anonymously submitted to KITV, the man can be seen waving a machete in the street before being hit by a black car across from Chinatown Cultural Plaza.
- The man’s condition and identity has not been released. There were no other reported injuries at the scene.
- Authorities are still investigating the case.
Police arrested a man for allegedly threatening people with a machete in Honolulu’s Chinatown.
Honolulu Police Department arrested the 30-year-old man on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening on Monday night on North Beretania Street, Chinatown.
‘Historic’ waves as high as 20 feet tall send wedding guests in Hawaii running for cover
- Massive waves sent wedding guests running for cover as water aggressively knocked over decor and stands in Hawaii over the weekend.
- As seen in a video, waves — some reported to be over 20 feet high — crashed a wedding at Hulihe’e Palace in Kailua-Kona, wiping out tables and a bar.
- Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources claimed that the swells were “the highest south shore surf in more than 25 years.”
- Unlike previous reports, Hurricane Darby was not the major cause of the waves.
- Instead, meteorologist Chris Brenchley explained that climate change was to blame.
Massive waves sent wedding guests running for cover as water aggressively knocked over decor and stands in Hawaii over the weekend.
As seen in a video, waves — some reported to be over 20 feet high — crashed a wedding at Hulihe’e Palace in Kailua-Kona, wiping out tables and a bar but miraculously leaving the food and wedding cake unharmed.
Teacher in Hawaii admits to sexually abusing 13-yr-old boy after arrest for child porn distribution
- Filipino American teacher Alden Bunag, 33, was arrested by FBI agents in O‘ahu, Hawaii, over a child pornography distribution charge.
- Court documents say Bunag distributed child porn via the messaging app Telegram from around November 2019 up until at least October 2021.
- Bunag admitted during a voluntary interview with agents that he had prior sexual contact several times with a 13-year-old former student and then shared at least one video of them with others online.
- Bunag, who has a preliminary hearing set for June 27, faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted.
FBI agents have arrested a Filipino American teacher in O‘ahu, Hawaii, and charged him with distribution of child pornography.
Alden Bunag, 33, was served search warrants at his home and on his person. He was apprehended at Pearl City High School (PCHS), where he taught summer school, on June 15.
Elderly man, 79, set on fire in Honolulu Chinatown
- Police are looking for a man who reportedly set an elderly man on fire in Honolulu’s Chinatown on Tuesday morning.
- Surveillance footage shows the suspect trailing the 79-year-old victim before using what appears to be a lighter to set his shirt ablaze.
- The victim suffered first- and second-degree burns and was taken to the hospital.
- The suspect, who was reported to be homeless, fled the scene on foot and remains at large.
Warning: This article contains mentions of a person who was severely burned after being set on fire.
Police are searching for a suspect accused of setting an elderly man on fire in Honolulu’s Chinatown on Tuesday morning.
Police chief in Hawaii faces lawsuit for alleged racial discrimination against Asian officer
The police chief in the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i is being accused of discriminatory and racist behavior toward an Asian American officer in a lawsuit.
What the suit is saying: Kaua’i Police Department (KPD) Captain Paul Applegate, 55, filed a suit against KPD Chief Todd Raybuck last week for allegedly discriminating against him when he applied for a promotion last year, reported the Associated Press.
California father and son arrested in Hawaii over bogus COVID-19 vaccine cards
A father and his son flying to Hawaii from Los Angeles were arrested as soon as they had landed after allegedly presenting fake documents to bypass the state’s mandatory quarantine policy.
The allegation: Norbert Chung, 57, and Trevor Chung, 19, of the Pacific Palisades, are accused of using bogus COVID-19 vaccine cards to get around Hawaii’s Safe Travels Program, which requires visitors to present a vaccine card or a negative COVID-19 test result in order to avoid a 10-day quarantine.
Kaiser Permanente gives three Hawaii organizations $100K each to combat racial hate
Kaiser Permanente is donating $100,000 each to three Hawaii organizations to support their ongoing work to address hate crimes and related incidents within their communities.
Joint project: The funding is part of the “Stop Anti-Asian Hate and Violence Initiative,” which the health care provider established this month with non-profit Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) in Washington, D.C., reported the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
