Suspect arrested in beating of Japanese tourists

A 20-year-old man arrested for allegedly beating two Japanese tourists in a Kakaako park bathroom is charged with two counts of first-degree assault.

Isea Taumoepeau was scheduled to appear in Honolulu District Court on the charges this morning. He remains in custody, unable to post $200,000 bail. He was also scheduled to appear in court on contempt warrants totaling $250 bail for failing to appear for two separate traffic cases.

Honolulu police said Taumoepeau assaulted a 44-year-old male and a female May 28 and was later identified and arrested Friday.

The Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii said the victims are a husband and wife who were visiting from Japan. VASH President and CEO Jessica Rich said the couple is facing $50,000 in medical bills and that they continue to receive treatment back in Japan. VASH has offered to solicit donations for the couple.

Rich said the couple was assaulted in Mother Waldron Neighborhood Park. They were in Hawaii with a tour group but wandered into Kakaako on an off day, when the tour operator didn’t have any scheduled activities. She said the couple went home a day after the attack on their scheduled return flight.

A report police provided to VASH says the husband was hit in his face above his left eye and that the wife was choked when she went to check on her husband.

One day after the attack, the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu posted on its website a warning for Japanese tourists and Japanese nationals living in Honolulu about visiting and taking pictures in front of the many colorful murals in Kakaako. The warning says the husband and wife were both punched in the face, choked and left with broken teeth after they happened upon a group of males injecting drugs.

Lifeguards rescued 6 on Sunday

Surf of between 6 and 10 feet on Oahu’s east side kept city lifeguards busy and working overtime Sunday.

They rescued a 16-year-old boy at about 1:30 p.m. and two women, both 21, at about 3 p.m. who were swept off China Wall by large waves and into the ocean. The boy was taken to shore and did not require treatment. A city ambulance transported the two women in serious condition to a hospital emergency room for arm and leg injuries.

The city’s Emergency Medical Services Department says lifeguards were kept overtime at Sandy Beach and Waikiki.

Lifeguards in West Oahu were also busy Sunday, rescuing four swimmers at Kahe Point. All were taken to shore safely. None required treatment.