A 26-year-old man charged in an apparently unprovoked attack made his initial court appearance Friday in the Waikiki stabbing case.
Cedar Chavarria, who appeared in District Court in a wheelchair with wrists and ankles shackled, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder. Chavarria spent the hearing with his head hung, at one point moaning.
The court appearance was originally Thursday but was postponed after he suffered an unknown medical problem in the hallway behind the courtroom and was transported to The Queen’s Medical Center.
Judge Lono Lee set Chavarria’s preliminary hearing for Monday and confirmed his bail at $100,000.
At about 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, the victim, a man described to be in his late 20s, was walking on Kalakaua Avenue with a small group when they turned into a pedestrian walkway and saw Chavarria standing, per a police affidavit.
It’s unknown whether Chavarria and the victim know each other.
After the group walked past, Chavarria allegedly approached them from behind and attacked one of the men.
Police said Chavarria wrapped his left arm around the victim’s neck, stabbing him in the back, neck and chest.
One of the men pulled Chavarria off the victim, and Chavarria fled, court documents said. The man helping the victim yelled, “That’s him,” to a nearby security guard, pointing to Chavarria and saying he had stabbed the victim.
Emergency Medical Services transported the victim to Queen’s in serious condition.
Police spotted Chavarria on Ala Wai Boulevard near Namahana Street, about eight blocks from the scene, and recovered a 6-inch knife from his hoodie-style jacket pocket. They arrested him on suspicion of second-degree attempted murder.
Chavarria has a record of fourth-degree theft and third-degree assault.
