Visitors said Maui man used chainsaw to strike their car

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Maui Police Department arrested a 35-year-old Haiku man after a family said he was harassing them on Monday.

Police responded to the scene around 5:37 p.m. at Kamaole Beach Park III for a criminal property damage report.

The victims were a family of five visiting from Massachusetts and they told police that an unknown male had been harassing them earlier in the day. As the family was loading belongings into their Ford Flex SUV rental car, the man approached the family again while trying to start a chainsaw.

When the SUV was reversing, Paleka allegedly used the running chainsaw to strike the side passenger door multiple times.

The family then left the parking lot to contact the police. They told police the suspect, who was later identified by as Keaka Paleka, left the parking lot in a Toyota 4-Runner.

Shortly after, Paleka was located and arrested on suspicion of criminal property damage in the first degree and terroristic threatening in the first degree.

Paleka remains in police custody with bail set at $27,000.