A man who allegedly attempted to kidnap a woman from a Diamond Head Gold Coast garage on Monday has been arrested and charged.
Diesel Makanikaiaulu Kawelo, 23, was arrested Monday after being reportedly found naked near Diamond Head, hours after a clothed man matching his description was recorded attempting to bodily carry a resisting woman into a vehicle on Coconut Avenue.
Footage of the incident depicts a man approaching two women inside a condo garage, accosting them and chasing one of them as she fled, before lifting her in a bear hug and attempting to drag her to a truck. However, the man dropped the victim and then sped off in the vehicle.
Two hours later, Honolulu police officers reportedly arrested the suspect without incident.
Kawelo has been charged with kidnapping, a felony offense carrying a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, and is currently being held pending a $500,000 bail. An initial court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
Kawelo does not appear to have a lengthy criminal record in Hawai‘i. His only recorded criminal history in the state before this week was comprised of a handful of traffic offenses between 2022 and this year: in 2022, he was fined $300 for speeding, and in August of this year, he failed to appear in court for another speeding offense.
In 2021, Kawelo was charged with underage drinking and driving, his earliest recorded offense. However, the case was dismissed in 2022.
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