Maui Police Arrest Student After Viral Video Shows Attack at Baldwin High

Maui police have taken a student into custody and deployed an additional security officer to Baldwin High School in Wailuku. The measures follow the release of a video showing an unprovoked attack on the school grounds.

The incident occurred on Monday, and the footage was blurred to protect the identities of the minors involved. The recording shows one boy kicking and punching another for nearly a minute. The victim attempted to walk away and lower the intensity of the situation, but the aggressor continued the assault until the victim fell to the ground after a strike to the head. Several onlookers watched and laughed as someone filmed the event.

An adult stepped in to confront the students after the victim fell. Lieutenant Grant Hutaff-Nakamura, who commands the Maui Police Department’s Juvenile Crime Prevention Division, described the victim’s actions during the clip. “The boy was not fighting back. He was just walking away trying to diffuse the situation and he got attacked,” Hutaff-Nakamura said. “That’s unacceptable.”

The suspect was arrested on charges of assault. In response to the incident, the police department added a second student resource officer to the Baldwin campus. School administrators contacted the police on the day of the attack, and the state Department of Education sent a letter to parents three days later after receiving an inquiry.

Local resident Jamie Nahooikaika, a mother of two and alumna of the school, expressed frustration over the event. “That’s just very disappointing, especially because the other boy was just walking. But to also have friends that encourage that is very, very disappointing,” she said. Police aim to ensure students feel safe at school, a place they described as needing to remain secure.