WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Kirill Basin, a 40-year-old Democratic candidate for Hawaii’s second congressional district, appeared in a Wailuku courtroom Tuesday in handcuffs on two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening stemming from a Saturday altercation in South Kihei.
A judge kept Basin’s bail at $1 million. His attorney, Brandon Segal, called the amount “outrageous.”
“These are just allegations. My client has a presumption of innocence,” Segal said.
Viral beach confrontation caught on camera
The incident was caught on video and went viral. Maui police say the altercation began when a 61-year-old man asked Basin to turn down his music. Basin allegedly implied he had a firearm and would shoot the victim’s wife. The confrontation occurred in front of the Mana Kai Maui hotel at Keawakapu Beach.
Video obtained by Hawaii News Now shows Basin swinging a beach chair and a bystander knocking him to the ground.
Bystander uses MMA training to intervene
Kama, a father who works in construction, told Hawaii News Now he used his mixed martial arts training to intervene.
“I’m like, maybe I should intervene, and then as I got closer and closer, he was just getting more irate and violent and then saying stuff. ‘I’m going to hurt you’ or ‘I can injure you’ or ‘You like scrap’ to the aunties,” Kama said.
“He put his hands on me and as soon as he tried to shove me, I hit him with a left and a right and that’s when he stumbled and fell over the chairs,” Kama said.
Kama added that Basin swung the beach chair at him before Kama knocked him unconscious.
“Just block it and go for the KO. Just protect myself, which is why I had my hand up and then I adjusted to block the chair,” he said.
Knife allegations disputed by defense
The Maui Police Department said Basin allegedly pulled out a knife and threatened multiple people before tossing it into the ocean. Kama said it was a 5-inch switchblade, which he said he found and turned over to officers.
“He ended up pulling the knife out on me after the altercation and that was obviously a game changer when I knew he was off,” Kama said.
Segal disputed that account. “There’s no evidence in any of these videos that have been circulated tremendously that he ever had a knife in his possession. He never had a firearm in his possession,” he said.
Prior arrests and mental health evaluation
Court records show Basin has a history of arrests for assault and property damage. He allegedly brandished a gun during an argument with county workers in May.
The court recommended Basin undergo a mental health assessment.
When asked if he was afraid of Basin, Kama said, “No. I didn’t even know who the guy was.”
Kama said he intervened because someone could have been hurt.
“You do what’s right because that’s what we should do and that’s my whole motto in life,” he said.
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