Police search for suspects involved in Chinatown machete attack
By Kristen Consillio
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CHINATOWN (KITV) — Business operators woke up to a stream of blood drops that went from here at Kekaulike Mall up King Street and all the way to the police station on Maunakea.
“When the sun goes down this area becomes kind of violent, especially in the market where there is no presence. So a lot of the local customers out here know not to come out at night,” said Ra Long, owner of Fred’s Sundries. “They’re either getting robbed or getting mugged or getting stabbed.”
A late-night fight at Kekaulike Mall put two men in the hospital — one suffering from severe wounds to his arm, the other his upper body from a sharp weapon. This video obtained by Island News shows a man with what appears to be large knife chasing someone in the street.
“Machete is very common weapon. You know, drug dealers, homeless, they use it for protection,” said Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, founder of the Chinatown Business & Community Association. “That’s why we need to really address the drug problem.”
Despite the city installing dozens of cameras and businesses investing in their own surveillance systems and security teams: “A lot of it, you know, it goes unreported because the mentality now is in Chinatown, is why bother calling if nothing’s going to be done? So when you do call, they get arrested and the next day they’re out,” Long said.
The Honolulu Police Department opened multiple cases, but said all parties involved were uncooperative.
“The incident does not appear to be a random act of violence and the parties involved appear to be acquaintances,” said HPD’s District 1 Acting Maj. Henry Roberts.
And without their cooperation, HPD said it cannot make an arrest.
“It’s half a block away from a police station. They’re not afraid of the city cameras across the street,” Long said. “If we’re not tough on crime, everyone loses in this state. No one’s winning. The only people that was winning is our criminals.”
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