Maui County police arrested a 25-year-old Wailuku man this morning for allegedly going to the county building with a knife and saying he would “murder” Mayor Alan Arakawa.

Police said that about 7:35 a.m., a female walking her dogs near the employee parking lot of the Maui County Building at 200 S. High Street encountered a man brandishing a knife.

When the woman asked what he was going to do with that knife, he allegedly told her that he was going to “murder the mayor,” police Lt. Wayne K. Ibarra said in a news release.

The woman immediately left and called 911, police said.

The man entered into the County Building and reportedly asked some county employees the locaton of the mayor’s office was located, and went up to the ninth floor, police said.

There the man asked the front desk receptionist if he could see the mayor. The receptionist said the mayor was not in yet and asked the man to sign in so she could make an appointment. The man left a first name and a phone number and left without making any additional threats, police said.

Maui police identified the man and arrested him at 10:15 a.m. at his Wailuku home. Preliminary investigation revealed that the man may have been suffering from mental health issues. Officials took the man to Maui Memorial Medical Center for evaluation.

Police recovered what appeared to be a kitchen knife with a 6-inch blade.

Arakawa said in a statement that he does not plan to change his open-door policy, and that the ninth-floor doors will remain unlocked.

“I feel this is an isolated incident,” Arakawa said. “I am thankful to police for their quick response and to this witness who reported the incident so promptly. But these doors will remain open. People need to feel free to come in, make an appointment and talk to their government officials.”