Carl Realista, 59, was waiting at the bus stop early Sunday in Kalihi, heading to his job as a landscaper in Liliha, when an apparently random attack left him comatose and in critical condition.
On Tuesday, as Realista lay in a medically induced coma at the Queen’s Medical Center after brain surgery to remove a blood clot, his family members and the police called for help in finding the people responsible.
Realista, who is single, lives with his older brother, Freddie, and sister-in-law just a block or two from the bus stop near Dillingham Boulevard and Kalihi Street that he has used for 25 years to get to work.
"He’s a real mellow guy. He don’t bother nobody," Freddie Realista said. "He didn’t have no problems. He’s a quiet guy. … He don’t drink, he don’t smoke. … He don’t deserve this. Like everybody said, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Carl Realista normally left for work at 4:30 a.m., catching two buses to get to his job at Kunawai Terrace, where he has worked for more than 20 years. Police said he was found unresponsive at 4:52 a.m., lying in the street. Police classified the case as an attempted murder.
Police say they haven’t heard from any witnesses and need help to solve the crime.
"We believe there were numerous people at the bus stop," police Sgt. Kim Buffett said. "We are asking them to come out and help this family. Seeing his picture might trigger a little memory, and it could be a key piece of information for the investigation."
Realista is the youngest of five children. Two of his brothers, his sister and his brother-in-law attended a news conference outside the Police Department in hopes of getting help from the public in solving the crime.
"It’s pretty sad, pretty hard for all of us," Freddie Realista said. "We are trying our best to cope with this. … He’s in bad shape. We don’t know the outcome. His whole face was all bus’ up.
"What I really plead is, if somebody seen this, I would really appreciate if they would call. These kind of guys, they should be put away."
His sister, Linda Cypriano, said Carl’s boss wants him to come back to work and is going to keep his job open for him. The victim still had his wallet when he was found, and it isn’t clear whether anything was taken from him, Buffett said.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellphone. The public may also send anonymous text and Web tips. Text "CS808" plus a message to 274637 or "CRIMES," or visit www.honolulucrimestoppers.org. CrimeStoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest of a suspect.
