Hostage set afire, another assaulted
By David Waite and Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writers
An almost 14-hour hostage ordeal in which one man was stabbed three times, doused with rubbing alcohol and set afire and another victim was sexually assaulted ended when a third victim escaped and called police.
Police called the bizarre events that played out Monday inside a downtown apartment building unusual.
"It's not something that happens in our city very often," said Honolulu Police Department spokesman Capt. Frank Fujii.
The Honolulu man who allegedly held four people captive in the apartment was arrested Monday on suspicion of attempted murder, kidnapping, sex assault and other felony charges, police said.
Residents at the apartment complex yesterday were stunned when told about the incident.
"I'm pretty shocked; it's a regular (apartment) in the middle of town," said Joshua Serrano, an 18-year-old Honolulu Community College student.
Robert Salcedo, a bank employee who lives in the building, said he couldn't believe hostages were taken in the complex where he lives.
"It's pretty much a nice place to live and it's the first time I heard of an incident like that," Salcedo said.
Police said the suspect, a 39-year-old man, had gone to visit his estranged wife who was staying in an 18th-floor apartment at Hale Pauahi, 155 N. Beretania St.
The man was waiting at the apartment with his wife's roommate and two other acquaintances when she returned at about 2 a.m. They argued and the man beat his wife, police said.
They said her male roommate heard her cries for help and was attempting to call building security guards when the suspect saw him, became enraged and beat him, too.
The suspect then doused the roommate with rubbing alcohol and ignited it, police said. He also stabbed the roommate three times with a large knife, police said.
Then the suspect tied up all four of the people in the apartment — two men, ages 65 and 54, and two women, ages 49 and 39 — and threatened to kill them, police said.
Sometime later, the suspect sexually assaulted one of the women, who is an acquaintance of his estranged wife, police said. After that, the suspect's wife talked him into letting her leave the apartment, police said, under the guise of having to buy sweets for one of the two men.
Once outside the apartment, the estranged wife flagged down a passing police officer. The officer went to the apartment with the woman, got into the unit and arrested the suspect at about 3:45 p.m.
The man was booked on suspicion of four counts of kidnapping, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, four counts of first-degree sexual assault, four counts of first-degree terroristic threatening and one count each of second- and third-degree assault.
Fujii said the man who was burned and stabbed was taken to the hospital with "serious and substantial" injuries that were not life-threatening. He said the woman who was assaulted was also taken to the hospital with injuries but could not say yesterday what her condition was.
"With the heinous nature of this crime, the victims are all going to be traumatized, making the investigation that much more complex," he said.
The suspect, who has 37 prior convictions including seven felonies, is in police custody awaiting charges. Among prior felony convictions are four drug offenses, a terroristic threatening offense, a car theft and a felony theft.
Fujii said investigators will have to carefully review charging guidelines in the case because it took place in a federal Weed and Seed area, meaning that federal charges could be pending. Police may file charges as early as today.
