Police arrest man, 23, seek others in beating death

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 23-year-old man was arrested early yesterday in connection with the beating death of a Waipahu man near a Kona Street nightclub.

Mikiala L.K.K. Kahalewai was punched by one man and then kicked and punched by three other men shortly after 1 a.m. yesterday fronting the Pachinko Karaoke club, according to a police affidavit filed in court yesterday. Kahalewai, 26, was taken to The Queen's Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:03 a.m.

Police arrested the man after witnesses pointed him out as the person who first punched Kahalewai, the document said. After the beating, the suspect walked into the Pachinko club where police found him sitting in a booth.

The man told a police officer that he punched Kahalewai because Kahalewai urinated in his truck, the document said.

"That guy (urinated) in my truck," the man told the officer, according to the document. "What would you do if someone (urinated) in your car?"

A witness told police the man ran to Kahalewai and punched him in the face as Kahalewai stood next to the Ford pickup. The witness also said it appeared that Kahalewai was urinating into the truck.

When Kahalewai fell to the ground, three other men and the suspect kicked and punched Kahalewai in the head and face, the document said. When police arrived at the scene they found Kahalewai lying in the roadway.

Police yesterday were looking for the other men involved in the beating.

Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.