A skateboarder Friday withdrew his assault complaint against Aiea High School head football coach Wendell Say.

Say’s attorney said he was told by the police detective investigating the case that the skateboarder, 35, had mistakenly identified the coach as his attacker and was sending his apology to Say.

The skateboarder had been re-interviewed about his allegations against the 55-year-old coach after a news conference Thursday in which Say said he was with his family at the time of the Oct. 9 assault and maintained his innocence.

"The individual explained that he mistakenly identified Coach Say as the individual who assaulted him," said Lyle Hosoda, Say’s attorney.

The skateboarder had accused the well-respected coach, known for his gentle, mild manner, as being the first to punch him at the 7-Eleven store next to the Aiea Shopping Center after an earlier confrontation between skateboarders and two coaches at the school campus.

According to friend Chad Hiyakumoto, the skateboarder was beaten and kicked by multiple attackers who arrived in three vehicles at the 7-Eleven and Aiea Bowl. He was vomiting blood and suffered a black eye, swollen face and bruises to his neck and shoulder. He described the skateboarder as "very passive" and not among those who spoke to the coaches at the school.

Another skateboarder was knocked unconscious and does not remember who hit him, Hiyakumoto said.

Police said some of the Aiea coaching staff’s family, friends and former players were called to look for the skateboarders after they left the campus. A fight erupted at Aiea Bowl, and some skateboarders were assaulted.

Police arrested three former Aiea High School football players the night of the Oct. 9 assaults and charged them with misdemeanor assault. The three were at a picnic with the coaches earlier that day, Say said.

Police contacted Say on Monday, and arrested him Tuesday on suspicion of felony assault and misdemeanor terroristic threatening based on the victim’s identification of him from a group photo of Aiea High School football coaches.

Hosoda said the ordeal had weighed heavily on Say and that he cried upon learning the news.

"I am relieved that it is over," Say said in a written statement. "This is something that I would never want to happen to me or anyone else ever again.

"I really want to express my thanks and aloha to my family, friends and the community for all their aloha and support," he said. "It’s times like these when you really find out what support and aloha really mean and what a caring community we live in.

"I do not have any bad feelings about the person who made the complaint against me or the handling of this matter by law enforcement," he said.

Police spokeswoman Michelle Yu said, "The victim withdrew his complaint. The complainant could reopen the case. At this point the case is closed."

When asked whether police will continue to look for suspects, Yu said that without a complainant there is no case.

"The coach feels really bad someone was hurt," Hosoda said. "

In maintaining his innocence Thursday, the coach answered numerous questions from reporters and explained he was not at the school or the 7-Eleven that day, producing a receipt from the Pearl Highlands Sam’s Club as well as cellphone records. He also sought videotapes from the 7-Eleven.

"If there has been wrongdoing, then it should not be incumbent on (Say) to do any further investigation," Hosoda said, adding that he had to prove his own innocence.

Say, who also serves as outreach counselor at the school, said he learned of the incidents from the school administration two days later. He said two of his coaches went to the school to return some coolers after a picnic, when they encountered a group of 20 skateboarders who were drinking and skateboarding off the roofs. When one coach asked them to leave, they were disrespectful and challenged the coaches but eventually left, he said.

The coaches later went to the 7-Eleven, but nothing happened there, he said.

He said he and the administration were satisfied with the coaches’ explanation of events and does not believe they had anything to do with the assaults.

Hosoda said Say will have to deal with it if it involves his coaching staff, "but at this point he’s got no pending complaint."