Police arrested five male suspects yesterday in connection with a brawl in Waimanalo during the early morning hours on New Year’s Day.

At approximately 12:55 a.m. on Jan. 1, Police said a 17-year-old boy, and an 18-year-old man were at a party when one suspect struck the 18-year-old. The victim fled and returned to the party with another 18-year-old man and both men were assaulted with metal pipes, bats and beer bottles by male suspects between ages 14 and 40, police said. The victim’s relatives arrived and yelled at the suspects to stop assaulting the two men. But the suspects started attacking them, police said. 

Police said the assaults continued up the street. A man and a woman, ages 31 and 23 respectively, tried to stop the suspects from going onto their properties but were also assaulted by the group. The suspects fled before police arrived.

Following an investigation, the five suspects were located and identified through a photographic line-up. Police arrested the suspects yesterday on suspicion of seven counts of second-degree assault.