Man charged for alleged assault on officer, gun threat

An 18-year-old Kalihi man appeared in District Court Tuesday to face charges that he allegedly used pepper spray on a police officer and threatened a man with an illegal firearm in a separate case over the weekend.

John Ernest Downer, Jr. was charged Monday with allegedly assaulting a female police officer by spraying her with pepper spray on June 4. His bail was set at $100,000.

Downer was initially arrested early Sunday morning on Richard Lane in Kalihi for allegedly threatening a 22-year-old man with an illegal firearm. The suspect fled the scene after confronting his victim at 11:12 p.m. Saturday.Officers caught Downer 40 minutes later after a chase, and arrested him on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening, first-degree reckless endangering, resisting arrest and two firearms violations.

Downer was charged Sunday with first degree terroristic threatening and firearms violations. 

While in custody, police also discovered that he was a suspect in the pepper spray case.