HONOLULU (KHON2) — A man is in custody as part of an attempted murder investigation after police in Hawaii said he used a sword to attack another man in Waikiki.
Witnesses said it started with an argument. Michael Suissa, a visitor from Switzerland, stopped by an area 7-Eleven Thursday night to get some ice cream. Little did he know he would witness a gruesome attack.
“For me what happened here is like the world became crazy,” Suissa said.
Another witness, who identified himself as Johnny, said he still can’t believe what happened — especially the part about the sword.
Both Johnny and Suissa both said the incident began after an argument between two men inside a 7-Eleven. It looked like the men had their disagreements in the past, both witnesses said.
Johnny said things escalated quickly after the two left the store.
“I saw the guy actually come with a sword and he just sliced the other guy’s hand, and it was on the floor,” Johnny said. He added that the victim’s entire hand was gone from the wrist down. The victim was also sliced down the side of his body, Johnny said.
Suissa said the victim remained standing for a moment before falling to the ground.
“He looked like he’s in shock,” Suissa explained. “He didn’t understand what happened to him.”
After the attack, Suissa said the suspect ran to the back of the store and dumped the sword before running down the street, where he was later arrested.
Suissa said he’s still shocked by what happened, and the fact the suspect had the sword with him in the store.
“What he did to this guy, he changed his life,” Suissa said. “[The victim], it’s not like yesterday. His life is totally different. He lost his palm, just for a simple argument.”
The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Johnny said the incident changed his perspective on Waikiki, too.
“I’m from Miami,” he explained. “There is crime in Miami, but I’ve never seen anything like this before … It was a horrible experience.”