Honolulu man charged after video captures garage confrontation at Kainalu condos
Diesel Makanikaiaulu Kawelo faces a $500,000 bond after police say he attempted to abduct a 24-year-old woman from a parking structure.
By Harper Collins ·
A 23-year-old Hawaii resident was charged Wednesday with kidnapping following an incident captured on surveillance cameras in Honolulu.
Police identified the suspect as Diesel Makanikaiaulu Kawelo. He was taken into custody a few hours after the event. The incident occurred Monday afternoon at the Kainalu condominiums. Authorities responded to a report of a kidnapping in progress. Surveillance footage from the complex showed a truck parked outside. A man entered the garage and confronted two women. He then chased one of the victims.
A 77-year-old resident, who requested anonymity, stated that the suspect physically attacked her friend. Police records indicate the suspect elbowed the 77-year-old woman in the face. The resident described the suspect's demeanor during the confrontation. “He shoved me away from my friend and he picked her up,” she said. “He looked like a monster. He just had so much hatred and craziness in his eyes.” The resident added that she and the 24-year-old victim were shouting for help. “I was yelling, ‘Help! Help!’ and she was yelling, too,” the resident recalled. “She was saying, ‘You don’t want to do this. Don’t do this.’”
Witnesses reported seeing the suspect restrain the victim. Beverly Louis, a neighbor, said she observed the man bear-hugging the woman. “I just started screaming, ‘Drop her! Drop her! Drop her!’” Louis said. “She was screaming for her life. She was terrified.” Another resident, Mike Finkelstein, yelled at the suspect to release the woman. “Let her go. I’ve called the police. I’m coming down there after you,” Finkelstein said. Several neighbors intervened to help the 24-year-old break free. The suspect fled in his truck.
Police located Kawelo running naked in a nearby neighborhood shortly after the escape. He was arrested and brought to custody. The judge set his bail at $500,000. The 77-year-old resident said she and her friend are experiencing nightmares. The neighborhood remains on edge following the event.
