Bail set at $500,000 for man charged in Honolulu attempted kidnapping

Bail was set at $500,000 on Wednesday for a 23-year-old man charged with kidnapping in Honolulu. Police identified the suspect as Diesel Makanikaiaulu Kawelo and took him into custody.

The incident occurred on Monday afternoon at the Kainalu condominiums. Authorities responded to a report of a kidnapping involving a truck parked outside the complex. Surveillance footage shows a man entering the garage area, confronting two women, and chasing one of them.

A 77-year-old resident described the moment the suspect picked up her 24-year-old friend. Police stated that the suspect elbowed the older woman in the face. “He shoved me away from my friend and he picked her up,” the resident 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 with the suspect to stop. “She was saying, ‘You don’t want to do this. Don’t do this,’” the resident recounted. Her friend attempted to fend off the man while the older woman hoped neighbors would hear their voices.

Beverly Louis, a neighbor, watched from a distance as the suspect bear-hugged the victim and dragged her toward the rear 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 intervened after hearing the commotion, helping the 24-year-old break free. The suspect fled in his truck and was located a few hours later running naked in a nearby neighborhood.

The two women reported continuing to have nightmares in the days following the event. The neighborhood remained on edge as residents processed the events of Monday afternoon.