WAILUKU - A 51-year-old Makawao man was being held on $1,700 bail at the Wailuku Police Station on Monday morning after an incident in Paia, police said. They reported he threatened, harassed and assaulted police officers Sunday.
Matthew Johnston was charged with assaulting a police officer, harassment, first-degree terroristic threatening, resisting arrest and third-degree criminal property damage.
Around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a harassment call along Baldwin Avenue, where witnesses said the person causing trouble was in the vicinity of the Paia municipal parking lot, said Lt. John Jakubczak of the Criminal Investigation Division.
Police then found a man matching the witnesses' description, he said. The man was carrying a green bag, and police repeatedly told him to put the bag down. Instead, he walked away and then took a fighting stance.
Police reported that his voice was slurred and they could smell alcohol on his breath, Jakubczak said.
When an officer went to grab the bag, the man swung his elbow at the officer's face but the officer was able to detain the man, eventually knocking him to the ground while the suspect was swinging his arms and legs and resisting, Jakubczak said.
As medical personnel examined the man, he threatened to shoot and kill an officer.
The man also damaged a window in the police car with his head as he was transported to the Wailuku Police Station, Jakubczak said.
