A 30-year-old Hawaii man, unnamed, was left severely burned after a suspect, still at large, allegedly threw acid at him in Chinatown in Honolulu.
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According to a release issued by the Honolulu Police Department (HDP), the incident occurred on Friday, August 8. At around 10 p.m., patrol officers responded to a Chinatown area after receiving an assault complaint.
Upon arrival, officers learned from witnesses that a 30-year-old man, the victim, was crossing the street. Suddenly, an unknown suspect threw an unknown liquid, acid, into the man’s face, which caused severe burns.
The victim was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Later, the Honolulu Fire Department identified the thrown liquid as sulfuric acid, a strong chemical that causes corrosion and can be very dangerous to human skin, as per MedlinePlus.
The suspect is described as a 6-foot-tall, large build, older man. At the time, he was wearing a black durag, a gray short-sleeve shirt, light-colored shorts, and blue athletic shoes, as per the HPD. Additionally, the man was seen with a camera around his neck and holding a red bottle.
A Chinatown Incident
HawaiiNewsNow reported that this is the third acid attack in two years in Oahu. Reportedly, in 2023, a man threw acid at a 20-year-old woman in Mililani. Months later, acid was thrown at a 25-year-old Chinese teacher.
Chinatown neighborhood board member Ernest Carvalho told the outlet that, while the incident had stunned him, he was equally surprised by the HPD’s patrolling.
“I’m actually stunned and shocked at this point,” Carvalho said. “Police have actually been doing a good job at patrolling the place now.”
Despite the most recent alleged acid attack, Carvahlo believes that Chinatown is now safer than before. In comparison to 10 years before, he believes it has gotten “a lot better,” saying that they are cleaning up the neighborhood.
District 6 councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam labeled the alleged attack a “freak incident” and hoped that it doesn’t deter people from visiting Chinatown.
“Revitalizing Chinatown, making it safer, is sometimes a two steps forward, one step back thing,” Santos-Tam said. “Unfortunately, this is one of those things. But, we’re going to keep on trying, we really have to. This is a very special neighborhood and it deserves to be safe.”