HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu police are searching for a mob accused of brutally beating a first responder and a teenage boy on Oahu’s North Shore.
Kekoa Tamale, a 23-year-old lifeguard, said he was trying to save his 15-year-old family friend from about a dozen people who were attacking him Saturday night.
Instead of intervening, Tamale said other bystanders recorded the beating on their phones.
“Everyone was either filming, laughing, or ran, so no one was helping this boy and if I didn’t do anything, he would’ve died,” Tamale said. “They posted a whole tik tok, they didn’t feel bad about it.”
Tamale said he first encountered the aggressors during a party at Pipeline, where he said a boy punched him in the back of the head for no reason.
“I turned around and asked them what’s going on and then two other boys come from behind and one tackles me and then I get up but they all run,” Tamale recalled.
Tamale said he later went to another spot on the North Shore known as “Dead Man’s Curve,” where he ran into the same group. There, Tamale estimated there were about a dozen people who he said targeted his teen friend.
“They drag this 15-year-old out of the car. It was a mix of men and high schoolers, but pretty big guys, and they were holding him down, and he’s not a big guy,” Tamale added.
One of the aggressors, Tamale said, had the boy in a hog tie as others kicked and punched him.
“The fact that they had him, holding him, it’s like torture, it’s like torture, like holding him, holding his legs. It’s disgusting,” Tamale described.
Horrified by what he saw, Tamale stepped in, tackling one of the attackers.
“Everyone was either filming, laughing, or ran, so no one was helping this boy and if I didn’t do anything, he would’ve died,” Tamale said.
The 15-year-old was able to run off and get help, but Tamale said the group then began beating him.
“At one point, they were trying to drown me. One boy had my hair, and he was like putting me in the water. Every time I tried to get up and back up, someone would try and tackle me,” Tamale remembered.
Bruised and scarred from head to toe, Tamale listed his injuries during an interview with HNN, saying, “broke my hand, broke my eye socket. I had to get reconstructive surgery on my eye. I have a concussion.”
Jake Withrow, a family friend to Tamale and the teen boy, shared, “that should’ve never happened, shouldn’t happen to anybody. It’s horrible.”
Family members of the 15-year-old boy wished to protect his identity, so they did not want to do an interview.
Withrow described the teen as a gifted athlete and an honor roll student.
“That’s family and it’s hard seeing a loved one like that be in pain and be beaten so badly,” Withrow added.
Many were also bothered after seeing the video on popular social media pages, including Stolen Stuff Hawaii.
“The amount of brutality that was, you know, that I saw in that video. It’s some of the worst I’ve seen ever posted to SSH, ever,” Stolen Stuff Hawaii founder Michael Kitchens said.
The Honolulu Police Department’s District 4 command gave HNN the following statement:
“We are actively investigating this incident to identify and locate those responsible. If community members have information leading to identifying the suspects or corroborating the complainant/witness statements, please notify the Honolulu Police Department, Crime Stoppers. If there is additional video, aside from what is currently posted on social media, please submit it to the HPD, Crime Stoppers. You can call the hotline 955-8300 or submit a tip via the P3 Tips mobile app.”
Family members set up a GoFundMe for Tamale and the other victim.
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