Faavae E. Tuinei

Hawaii County police have charged a Hilo man who allegedly recorded video of females using public restrooms before he was detained by a relative of one of the victims, a 13-year-old girl.

Faavae E. Tuinei, 35, was charged Monday with two counts of first-degree violation of privacy. He was in the Hilo police cellblock in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Police said a 24-year-old woman reported that she was using a public restroom in Hilo on Saturday night when a man in the next stall used a cell phone to record her. Others confronted the man and he left, police said.

Less than an hour later, Tuinei was observed allegedly using a cell phone in an adjacent stall to record a 13-year-old girl using a public bathroom in the Panaewa area. A relative of the victim detained Tuinei until South Hilo patrol officers arrived and arrested him, police said.

Police Lt. Gregory Esteban said Tuinei sustained injuries "as a result of a physical confrontation between the relative and the suspect." The relative was not hurt, he said.

Police did not arrest the relative, a 25-year-old Hilo man, but initiated a third-degree assault case that will be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office, Esteban said.

Officers recovered a cell phone that contains data relevant to the case, he said.

Police detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section are investigating the case. Tuinei made his initial court appearance in South Hilo District Court Tuesday.