Soldier is charged in stabbing

A 23-year-old man Schofield Barracks private was charged Monday in the stabbing of a woman in a stairwell in Waikiki early Sunday.

Solomon D.M. Battle was charged with second-degree attempted murder. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Police said the suspect and victim, who is in her early to mid-20s, were seen walking together in Waikiki sometime before 3:24 a.m. Sunday. Witnesses heard a woman scream and saw a man flee from a stairwell near a hotel. Police said the woman managed to track down a security guard, who called for help.

Police officers searched for Battle and arrested him at 5:54 a.m. in a room at the Princess Kaiu­lani Hotel.

The Emergency Medical Services Department said paramedics took the woman in serious condition to a hospital. Police, however, said the victim sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported in critical condition.