Three charged in beating of homeless man

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

Two teenagers were arraigned yesterday in District Court on charges of attacking a homeless man Thursday night at a bus stop near 'A'ala Park.

Savannah Balai, 19, and Percy Elvenia, 18, were charged with second-degree assault.

Each was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail. A boy, 15, also has been charged in the case.

The three are accused of striking and kicking a 51-year-old man at a bus stop in front of 333 N. King St. at 6:21 p.m.

The man also was stabbed with a knife that punctured his left lung. He was at The Queen's Medical Center in guarded condition.

In a police report filed in District Court, a witness said Balai and Elvenia were striking and kicking the man while he was on the ground.

The witness also heard the juvenile say, "I got the guy good by knifing him."

A preliminary hearing for Balai and Elvenia is scheduled for tomorrow in District Court.

Lynn Maunakea, executive director of the Institute for Human Services, said homeless people here are more often victims of harassment than violent crime. "This is extreme," Maunakea said of the attack. "I've read about things like this more in other places."

Balai was arrested at her home in Kalihi at 9:40 p.m., while Elvenia was arrested 30 minutes earlier on Kalakaua Avenue. Another man, 18, arrested with Elvenia, was not charged.

Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.