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A McCully man was charged Tuesday with felony attempted assault for allegedly trying to gouge out the eye of a University of Hawaii graduate student.
Jamal Morris, 24, was originally booked May 15 on suspicion of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. On Tuesday an Oahu grand jury indicted him on a charge of attempted first-degree assault, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor is a year in jail.
Morris, who was arrested while free on bail in another assault case, was being held at Oahu Community Correctional Center in lieu of $100,000 bail.
He is scheduled to appear June 21 in Honolulu District Court.
Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Dave Koga said the initial booking was done by police and that prosecutors sought the more serious charge after reviewing reports and statements that showed the suspect tried to cause serious bodily injury to the victim.
Morris was arrested for allegedly attacking Maseeh Ganjali on May 15 while Ganjali sat in his truck on University Avenue near the University Hongwanji Church.
Morris was out on $2,000 bail after allegedly dousing a 37-year-old man with a flammable fluid and trying to ignite it with a lighter at a McCully restaurant May 11. He was scheduled be in Honolulu District Court today for arraignment on charges of second-degree terroristic threatening when he allegedly attacked Ganjali.
Morris failed to show up in court, so his bail was revoked and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Morris has yet to be arraigned in connection with the May 11 attack.
Morris was confined to the Queen’s Medical Center psychiatric ward, police said, while the investigation continued into the May 15 incident.
Ganjali told the Star-Advertiser on Monday that he was hoping Morris would be charged with attempted murder and not be given the opportunity to post bail.
"He’s a danger to society and to himself," Ganjali said of Morris. "It is in the best interest of everyone that he is not free to do more crimes."
Ganjali said Morris attacked him after he gave Morris a ride from Manoa Valley mosque. Ganjali said Morris tried to take out his right eye and bit and hit him repeatedly on the face.
Ganjali said he is fearful that Morris has an "agenda" and has been threatening other members of the Muslim community. He said Morris has mentioned the names of others from the mosque whom he has targeted.
In another development, the executive director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority filed for a temporary restraining order Tuesday against Morris. Hakim Oansafi, also Hawaii Muslim Association president, filed for the TRO against Morris. A court hearing on Oansafi’s application is scheduled for June 4.
Star-Advertiser reporter Nelson Daranciang contributed to this report.
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