A terrifying broad-daylight kidnapping attempt on the Diamond Head Gold Coast was captured on surveillance video, leading to a swift community intervention and the subsequent arrest of the suspect.
The incident unfolded at approximately noon on Monday outside the Kainalu condominium on Coconut Avenue. According to Honolulu police, a man entered the building’s garage, confronted two women inside, and targeted the younger individual.
The 77-year-old condo resident, who requested anonymity, recounted that the assailant struck her in the face with his elbow during the confrontation.
“He shoved me away from my friend and he picked her up,” the 77-year-old resident said. “He looked like a monster. He just had so much hatred and craziness in his eyes.”
Both women fought back against the attacker while calling out for assistance. The older resident described shouting for help and praying that someone nearby would hear them, noting that her 24-year-old friend put up a fierce fight against the abductor.
Neighbors quickly responded to the commotion. Beverly Louis, a nearby resident and witness, stated that she saw the suspect holding the younger woman in a bear-hug and dragging her toward the rear of his truck.
“I just started screaming, ‘Drop her! Drop her! Drop her!'” Louis said. “She was screaming for her life. She was terrified.”
Another neighbor, Mike Finkelstein, also intervened from a distance. He recalled yelling at the suspect to let the victim go while warning him that police had already been contacted and that he was heading down to confront him.
As several area residents converged on the scene, the 24-year-old woman managed to break free from the attacker’s grip. The suspect then climbed back into his vehicle and sped away in reverse, traveling mauka on Coconut Avenue.
Approximately three hours after the attempted abduction, law enforcement officers received reports of a suspicious individual matching the suspect’s description running naked in the vicinity of 22nd Avenue and Diamond Head Road. Police located and arrested the man on charges of kidnapping and second-degree assault.
In the wake of the attack, the 77-year-old resident reported that she and her friend are experiencing nightmares, and the surrounding neighborhood remains shaken by the brazen daylight incident.
