Man charged after dragging woman into truck at Honolulu condo complex

Honolulu police charged Diesel Makanikaiaulu Kawelo with kidnapping on Wednesday. The 23-year-old man was arrested in connection with an attempted abduction that took place Monday afternoon at the Kainalu condominiums.

Surveillance footage captured the sequence of events. The video shows a truck parked outside the complex. Kawelo enters the garage and confronts two women. He chases one of them, a 24-year-old resident, while the other, a 77-year-old woman, tries to intervene.

The 77-year-old resident, who asked not to be identified, stated that the suspect elbowed her in the face. She said, “He shoved me away from my friend and he picked her up. He looked like a monster. He just had so much hatred and craziness in his eyes.”

She recounted yelling for help while her friend screamed that she did not want to be taken. The victim attempted to fend off the suspect while the older woman hoped nearby residents would hear their cries.

Beverly Louis, a neighbor and witness, observed the suspect bear-hugging the woman and dragging her toward the back of his truck. Louis said, “I just started screaming, ‘Drop her! Drop her! Drop her!’ She was screaming for her life. She was terrified.” Another neighbor, Mike Finkelstein, yelled that he had called police and would follow the suspect.

Several residents rushed to the scene and helped the 24-year-old break free. The suspect fled in his truck. Police located him a few hours later after witnesses saw him running naked in a nearby neighborhood.

Kawelo’s bail was set at $500,000. The 77-year-old woman said she and her friend continue to have nightmares, and the neighborhood remains on edge following the incident.