One dead, two assaulted in attacks along Ala Wai
By Brandon Masuoka, David Waite and James Gonser
Advertiser Staff Writers
A Waikiki man accused of attacking three people along the Ala Wai Canal, one of them a 71-year-old man who died after being shoved down an embankment and into the water, had a history of assault arrests and mental problems.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
Cline Kahue, 48, who was arrested near McCully bridge after he apparently tried to swim away from the scene, had been acquitted of four assault offenses by reason of insanity last year and had also been involuntarily committed to The Queen's Medical Center in the 1990s.
Police officers were called to the Ala Wai Canal after the body of a 71-year-old man was found floating in the water.
Kahue is being held by police on suspicion of pushing the elderly man down a four-foot rock-and-concrete embankment into the canal and then assaulting two women walking along the busy sidewalk next to the waterway.
The city medical examiner's office would not release the victim's name last night. But Honolulu Star-Bulletin city editor Ed Lynch said the victim was former freelance sports writer Jack Wyatt.
Wyatt retired in 1998 after more than 25 years of covering outdoor sports for the Star-Bulletin. His specialties were yacht and canoe racing, distance running and fitness events such as biathlons and triathlons.
At one time he wrote a column on sailing called Nautical Notes. He preferred to cover participatory events featuring local athletes and produced a calendar of local running events each year.
Kahue, who lived alone in a sixth-floor apartment of a Walina Street high-rise several blocks away from the attacks, was initially taken to The Queen's Medical Center for psychiatric observation and treatment of minor injuries. He was later turned over to police. He has not been charged but is being held at the police cellblock.
The attacks occurred shortly after 8 a.m. along the makai side of the Ala Wai Canal, a well-maintained promenade just a block from the bustling tourist area of Kuhio Avenue. Ala Wai Boulevard is lined with low-rise condominiums, and during morning rush hour the street is jammed with commuters.
"It's tragic, but obviously a very isolated incident," said the Rev. Frank Chong, executive director of the nearby Waikiki Health Center.
Police Lt. Dwight Rodrigues who oversees Waikiki day operations, said the area is patrolled by police often and is considered safe.
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"We rarely get complaints of people being assaulted on the Ala Wai," he said.
Jack Wyatt was a longtime writer for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
Court records indicate that Kahue has had several run-ins with the law. According to the Hawai'i Criminal Justice Data Center, Kahue was acquitted by reason of insanity of four misdemeanor third-degree assault charges and one criminal contempt of court charge on March 8, 2001.
On November 7, 1996, he was convicted of third-degree assault and sentenced to one year of probation.
Court records also show that Kahue's mother, Janet M. Kahue, went to court in June 1995 in hopes of getting a restraining order against her son. Janet Kahue's lawyer, Keith Shigetomi, said yesterday the order was sought in Family Court because violence had occurred or threats of violence had been made.
He could not recalled specifics of the case nearly seven years ago but did remember talking to Cline Kahue at The Queen's Medical Center.
Court records show that Cline Kahue missed the first hearing on his mother's restraining order request because he had been admitted involuntarily to The Queen's mental health ward.
In June 1995, a Family Court judge issued a restraining order against Kahue, good for one year, and allowed Cline Kahue to retrieve "mutually agreed upon personal belongings" and that he be accompanied by a police escort.
Jay Ulmer, resident manager of the high-rise on Walina Street where Kahue lived, said he occasionally saw Kahue in the elevator or laundry room, but said Kahue never spoke to him until a couple of months ago when Kahue made a comment about having the same type of laundry basket as the manager.
"He smiled and I said, 'Wow, this man does smile,' " said Ulmer, who took over as resident manager in August of 2001.
Ulmer said Kahue always paid his $550 to $600 monthly rent and did not cause trouble at the apartments. He was well-mannered, Ulmer said, and occasionally would "hold the door open for ladies." Ulmer said he tried very hard to make friends with Kahue.
"He struck me as a little strange," Ulmer said. "But everyone is different, so I keep trying."
Ulmer said that Kahue "wasn't a man I knew to go jogging" and would "hardly go out." When he did venture out, Kahue would only go to the laundry room or the convenience store near the corner of Kuhio Avenue and Walina Street, Ulmer said. Ulmer said Kahue had a brother and sister.
In yesterday's series of attacks, witnesses and police said Wyatt was walking toward Diamond Head between Lewers and Kai'olu streets. His attacker was running in the opposite direction when Wyatt was shoved down the embankment, police said.
Wyatt fell into the canal and struck his head on the rocks, police said. He was found face down in the canal and apparently drowned.
One witness said Wyatt was pushed in at 8:07 a.m. His body, floating near the water's edge, was recovered 20 minutes later, homicide Lt. Bill Kato said.
Wyatt, who was wearing jogging attire, had no photo identification on him, said Lt. Rodrigues.
Witnesses and police said the attacker then shoved two women, ages 23 and 57, near Launiu and 'Olohana streets before trying to swim away. Waikiki district police said the two women are Hawai'i residents and were not injured seriously.
Hours after the attacks, residents of the area, which is often teeming with joggers and walkers, said they were shaken by the event.
Ala Wai resident Herbert Tsang, 71, who lives in high-rise near where the attacks took place, said the incident upset him, but he called it a "freak occurrence."
"It is a surprise," Tsang said. "This is a very nice neighborhood. It's very quiet especially around this section."
Those used to running and strolling along the Ala Wai said they'll be a little more careful from now on.
"I think people will realize this is an isolated case, but I'm also sure people will use more caution now," said Ray Woo, manager of The Running Room on Kapahulu Avenue.
Woo said many of his customers use the 3.2-mile running course — which circles the Ala Wai Golf Course, the canal and Iolani School — because it is convenient and considered safe.
"It is a busy place with paddlers, people walking, walking dogs and picnicking there all the time," Woo said.
Joe Neuer, 60, walks along the canal during his daily lunch break.
"I will be more careful now," he said. "I never thought this would happen here."
Advertiser staff writer Vicki Viotti contributed to this report.
