Ohia Meltdown

Ohia Waikiki

The trip back to Waikiki late this afternoon amounted to over an hour on the bus. Even then, a walk along several blocks of Ala Wai Boulevard was required to return to the “old folks home.” All traffic was being rerouted past Seaside Avenue, so the bus was alighted at that stop and a pedestrian route was followed.

Police vehicles were situated everywhere. There were crowds of people waiting along the entire blockaded area on Kuhio Avenue between Seaside Avenue and Nahua Street. An encounter with a couple of bystanders revealed that there was a “hostage situation” in progress.

Once back in the mausoleum at the “old folks home,” the gym bag was dropped off and a quick exit was made. The walk to the International Marketplace was not adversely affected. However, at Nahua Street (just across International Marketplace), the roadblock was clearly visible. Tourists and residents were waiting along the cordoned off areas to return to their respective hotels and homes. No one will be allowed back into the area until the standoff ends. The situation apparently commenced around 2pm. The time of the evening excursion was 6:15pm, and the situation remained unchanged as of this posting.

Nahua Street Roadblock - 7:40pm

The “suspect” who is causing the problem is allegedly locked in one of the rooms at the Ohia Waikiki hotel. He is in possession of a handgun and has fired off a few rounds. There apparently is no hostage, just the “suspect.” Sadly, just a few days ago, there was a homicide about one block away. Yeah, aloha nui loa!

Addendum: The standoff was abruptly ended around midnight when the 48-year-old “suspect named “Benjamin” was “terminated with extreme prejudice” by police after refusing to disarm. Obviously, this was a case of “suicide by police” action.