Honolulu: Suspect arrested in attempted garage abduction

Diesel Makanikaiaulu Kawelo was charged with kidnapping following a violent incident at a Honolulu apartment complex earlier this week.

Police arrested the 23-year-old man on Wednesday. The court set his bail at $500,000. The alleged crime occurred in the middle of the afternoon on Monday at the Kainalu condominiums.

Surveillance footage from the complex shows a truck parked outside the building. The video captures Kawelo entering the garage area and confronting two women. He is seen chasing one of the victims toward the exit.

A 77-year-old resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, described the physical confrontation inside the garage. She stated that the suspect elbowed her in the face and then lifted her 24-year-old friend by the arms. "He shoved me away from my friend and he picked her up," the resident said. She described the suspect's expression as intense, noting, "He looked like a monster. He just had so much hatred and craziness in his eyes."

The resident explained that she and her friend screamed for assistance to attract the attention of other neighbors. Her friend attempted to physically block the suspect while they both called out. "I was yelling, ‘Help! Help!’ and she was yelling, too. She was saying, ‘You don’t want to do this. Don’t do this,’" the resident recalled.

Beverly Louis, a neighbor who witnessed the event from her unit, said she saw the suspect bear-hugging the woman and pulling her toward the rear of his truck. "I just started screaming, ‘Drop her! Drop her! Drop her!’" Louis said. She described the victim as terrified and screaming for her life. Mike Finkelstein, another neighbor, also shouted at the suspect to release the woman. "Let her go. I’ve called the police. I’m coming down there after you," Finkelstein said.

Multiple residents rushed to the scene after hearing the commotion. They helped the 24-year-old woman break free from the suspect's grip. The suspect fled in his truck shortly after the group intervened. Police located him a few hours later in a nearby neighborhood, where they found him running barefoot. The 77-year-old resident said she and her friend continue to experience nightmares following the incident.