A 33-year-old Pearl City man who made an initial appearance in court Monday in connection with the death of a man run over by his car last week in Kalihi has a lengthy criminal history and is awaiting four other criminal trials, including one for an armed home invasion robbery.
Brandon Reis of Komo Mai Drive was charged Sunday with manslaughter, first-degree terroristic threatening and three firearm offenses in connection with the death of Kyen Knowles. He was being held at Oahu Community Correctional Center unable to post bail of $1 million.
Knowles, 36, died Wednesday of mechanical asphyxia after he was pinned under his 1991 Lexus sedan on Waterhouse Street between Kopke Street and Gulick Avenue.
Surveillance video shows a man walked up to Knowles’ car at about 5 p.m. Wednesday as he was seated inside and pulled out what appeared to be a handgun, according to a police affidavit filed Monday in Honolulu District Court. Knowles tried to reverse to get out of the way, and the suspect shot into his car, the document says. Knowles tried to get out of the moving car but accidentally ran over himself, pinning himself under the tire. The suspect is seen walking past Knowles before getting into a red car and fleeing.
Police initially classified Knowles’ case as a traffic death. Court documents say homicide detectives began investigating the following day after police learned about surveillance video from a business showing the shooting.
Several witnesses also told police they heard a “pop” and saw a man running from the scene, documents say.
Knowles’ family said he had gotten into an argument at a fast-food restaurant while picking up food for his kids, and on his way home someone fired a gun at him on Waterhouse Street.
Knowles, who lived just two blocks from the scene, is survived by three young children.
Before Reis was arrested Friday, he was out on bonds totaling $350,000 for four separate criminal cases that have been delayed for various reasons since 2012.
The bonds posted by Reis were $75,000 for a November 2011 first-degree robbery case; $125,000 for a January 2013 case in which he was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, three counts of kidnapping, use of a firearm and impersonating a law enforcement officer; $50,000 for a September 2013 case involving car theft and driving without a license; and $100,000 for a February 2014 case involving car theft, drugs, driving without a license and firearms.
In the January 2013 case, Reis is accused of entering an Ewa Beach home with two men claiming to be police executing a search warrant. Reis allegedly carried a long gun and tied up one of the residents while the two other men searched the home.
He was scheduled to begin trial for at least one of those cases on June 9, but the trial was delayed because prior attorneys didn’t request transcripts, said Reis’ attorney Keith Shigetomi. He said Reis was also arrested for traffic-related warrants.
“He hasn’t been convicted of any of those offenses, and that’s what the purpose of the trial is,” Shigetomi said.
Reis has an extensive criminal record with 39 arrests and five convictions. In 2003 he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for first-degree burglary. His other convictions include assault, abuse and probation violations.
