A 24-year-old woman narrowly escaped being kidnapped in broad daylight in Hawaii after a stranger chased her through a parking garage, grabbed her and attempted to carry her into his truck in a terrifying encounter captured on surveillance video.
The shocking incident unfolded around noon Monday, October 26, in Honolulu’s upscale Diamond Head Gold Coast neighborhood, where the young woman was walking with her 77-year-old friend when a man suddenly approached them.
What happened next left both women terrified and sparked a desperate rescue effort involving neighbors who rushed toward the commotion after hearing screams for help.
Police have since identified the suspect as 23-year-old Diesel Makanikaiaulu Kawelo, who was arrested hours later under equally bizarre circumstances after reportedly being spotted running naked through a nearby neighborhood.
The ordeal began at the Kainalu condominium complex on Coconut Avenue, where surveillance footage shows a man entering the parking garage and approaching the two women from behind.
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According to police, the stranger confronted the pair before pursuing the younger woman as she attempted to get away.
The suspect allegedly struck the older woman with his elbow when she tried to intervene, then grabbed her friend and lifted her off the ground.
The 77-year-old witness, who asked not to be identified, later described the terrifying moment to Hawaii News Now, recalling the stranger’s frightening demeanor as he approached.
“He looked like a monster,” she said, explaining that the man’s expression immediately alarmed her.
As the younger woman struggled in his arms, the suspect allegedly began carrying her toward a pickup truck parked outside the condominium building.
The older woman desperately screamed for help, hoping someone nearby would hear her before the stranger managed to leave with her friend.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old pleaded with the man to release her, struggling to break free as he continued moving toward his vehicle.
With nobody knowing what the suspect intended to do, the scene grew increasingly frantic.
Fortunately, the women’s cries attracted the attention of several neighbors, who quickly realized something was terribly wrong.
Beverly Louis, who witnessed the confrontation, said she began shouting at the stranger to release the woman.
“Drop her! Drop her! Drop her!” she recalled yelling as the frightening scene unfolded.
Louis said the young woman appeared terrified as she struggled against the stranger, prompting others in the area to rush toward the confrontation.
Another neighbor, Mike Finkelstein, also intervened, shouting that he had already contacted police and was coming to help.
As the witnesses converged on the scene, the 24-year-old finally managed to break free from the suspect’s grasp, falling to the ground before escaping to safety.
The man then reportedly raised his hands briefly before retreating to his truck and fleeing the area.
Surveillance footage captured the encounter, providing investigators with evidence of the attempted abduction and the intervention that helped prevent the woman from being taken away.
But the case took another extraordinary turn just hours later.
At approximately 2:39 p.m., Honolulu police located a man matching the suspect’s description near 22nd Avenue and Diamond Head Road, not far from the scene of the confrontation.
According to local reports, the man had been spotted running naked through the neighborhood before officers arrived.
Police identified him as Kawelo and arrested him without further incident.
He was initially arrested in connection with kidnapping and second-degree assault allegations. On Wednesday, October 28, prosecutors formally charged him with kidnapping, and his bail was set at $500,000. Hawaii News Now+2
Authorities have not publicly explained what allegedly motivated the attack or why the suspect was reportedly running naked shortly before his arrest.
Investigators have also not indicated that the suspect knew either woman before the encounter.
The incident has left residents of the normally peaceful Diamond Head neighborhood shaken, particularly because the attempted abduction happened in the middle of the day in an area surrounded by homes and condominiums.
The 77-year-old woman told Hawaii News Now that she and her younger friend were still experiencing nightmares after the frightening ordeal.
Despite escaping serious physical harm, both women have been left struggling with the emotional aftermath of an encounter that could have ended very differently.
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