Police arrested five Kalihi boys yesterday in connection with the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl Tuesday night at Beretania Community Park on 'A'ala Street.

One boy is 15, one is 14, two are 13 and one is 11.

Speaking at the park, Honolulu Police Capt. Frank Fujii said four of the suspects were arrested at around 6:30 a.m.

"About two hours later, a fifth male turned himself in at the Kalihi police station," said Fujii. "All five juveniles are currently being held at the detention home pending charges."

Fujii praised the courage of the victim, saying she should be commended for coming forward and identifying the suspects. According to investigators, she did everything right in trying to fend off the attackers, who overpowered her, he said.

Fujii said it would be up to the City Prosecutor's Office to decide whether the boys would be charged as juveniles or adults.

City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle said his office would study the applicable laws before deciding. But he left no doubt that he considered the crime appalling.

"This type of behavior almost takes your breath away, even if you've been watching this kind of stuff for years," said Carlisle. "In a public park. It's frightening, isn't it?"

Fujii said police expect to charge the five boys with a total of eight counts of assault and sexual assault, including two counts of sexual assault in the first degree, a Class A felony. He said the five could be charged as soon as today.

Carlisle said the 15-year-old boy could be tried as an adult for a Class A sexual assault felony. But it was not clear from police information whether the 15-year-old was one of the suspects arrested on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault.

The three who are 13 or 14 could be adjudicated only as "law violators," which could result in their being sent to the Hawai'i Youth Facility until they reach age 19, and if the time were extended, to age 21, Carlisle said.

And under most circumstances, the suspect who is 11 could only be treated as a "person in need of supervision," he added.

"It sounds like the majority of these cases are going to be handled in Family Court."

VICTIM WALKING HOME

Police said the attack happened at around 7:45 p.m. when the girl was walking home from a school function and was confronted by boys who took her to a playground area and attacked her.

The girl told police she recognized the attackers from school, and that the 15-year-old struck her. Following the attack, she was taken to a hospital.

The attack highlighted concerns of area residents, who have said they have seen evidence of crime in the park.

Both Lynne Matusow, chairwoman of the Downtown Neighborhood Board, and Bernadette Young, chairwoman of the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board, cited complaints about drugs and prostitution in the area, and that the park is unsafe after dark.

Fujii said it took four days to arrest the suspects because the investigation was more complex than it had appeared in the beginning. Although the victim said she was familiar with the suspects, she knew them only by first names or nicknames, Fujii said.

"Based on that information, we needed to go out and find the identity of all the juveniles," he said.

Fujii said the success in identifying the suspects was due in part to information provided by the public and school administrators. He said the suspects were all students at two area middle schools and one high school.

MAYOR OUTRAGED

Calling the acts "outrageous" and "deplorable," Mayor Mufi Hannemann on Friday urged the public to become more vigilant about reporting suspicious activities in neighborhood parks.

Hannemann said the attack pointed out the need to redouble efforts to prevent similar attacks, and said he intended to address the situation with officials from the parks and police departments.

"The really sad thing is that a sex assault happened here in a community park," said Fujii. "The people who can best show the criminal element that they will not tolerate that type of activity are the residents themselves."

Fujii said police have finite resources. "As much as we like to be proactive, sometimes we are reactive," he said. "The key to crime prevention is the community," which he suggested needs to be more involved and also must contact authorities about suspicious activities.

Rob Astalos was playing basketball on a nearby park court as Fujii was speaking.

He said the police should patrol the park more often.

"Is it dangerous? At night, yes. My roommate and I wouldn't walk through here at night. And we're both 23."

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.