Honolulu man charged after video captures drag of woman from condo garage

Diesel Makanikaiaulu Kawelo, 23, was charged with kidnapping in Honolulu on Wednesday following a mid-afternoon attempt on Monday that was captured on security footage.

Police identified Kawelo as the suspect in the incident at the Kainalu condominiums. They set his bail at $500,000 after his arrest.

Surveillance video shows a truck parked outside the complex on Monday. The footage captures Kawelo entering the garage and confronting two women. He is seen chasing one of them, a 24-year-old resident.

A 77-year-old neighbor described the physical struggle. She said Kawelo elbowed her in the face before picking up her friend. “He shoved me away from my friend and he picked her up,” she said. “He looked like a monster. He just had so much hatred and craziness in his eyes.”

The 77-year-old woman yelled for help while her friend pleaded, “You don't want to do this. Don't do this.” Beverly Louis, a neighbor who witnessed the event, said she saw Kawelo bear-hugging the woman and dragging her toward the back of his truck. “I just started screaming, ‘Drop her! Drop her! Drop her!’” Louis said. “She was screaming for her life. She was terrified.”

Mike Finkelstein, another witness, shouted at the suspect to release the woman. “Let her go. I've called the police. I'm coming down there after you,” Finkelstein recalled yelling. Several neighbors rushed in to assist the 24-year-old in breaking free. Witnesses reported that Kawelo fled in his truck shortly after. Police located him a few hours later after he was seen running naked in a nearby neighborhood.

The 77-year-old resident said she and her friend continue to experience nightmares. The neighborhood remains on edge following the incident.