Nov. 22 (UPI) — A jury found two men on the Hawaiian island of Maui guilty on Tuesday of a racially-motivated attack that left one man seriously injured.
Court documents revealed Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi, 32, and Levi Aki Jr., 33, were both convicted of a hate crime after attacking a white man who was attempting to move into their Native Hawaiian neighborhood of Kahakuloa on the island.
The victim, who can only be referred to as C.K., was in the process of moving into the home in February of 2014 when he was attacked by the two men. Both Alo-Kaonohi and Aki Jr. threatened to “tie [C.K.] up and drag [him]” and make him “go missing” if he didn’t leave the area immediately.
“Your skin is the wrong f****** color,” Alo-Kaonohi then told him in a threatening manner. He then struck C.K. in the back of the head with a shovel, resulting in a bloody wound.
The two men returned to the home later that day as C.K. was in the midst of packing and attacked him once again with the shovel, hitting him in the face and rendering him unconscious.
C.K. awoke to find the two men repeatedly kicking him in the side, which broke two of his ribs. He also suffered a concussion from the second shovel hit.
During the second attack, one of the two attackers told C.K. that “no white man is ever going to live here.”
C.K. moved to the area with his family following his wife’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis forced her to retire.
This verdict brings justice and vindication to the victim, a man who was assaulted and nearly killed simply based on the color of his skin,” Justice Department Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement released Tuesday following the conviction.
“The jury’s verdict – and in fact this whole prosecution – reflects the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting every person in this country from race-based violence, regardless of the race of the perpetrator or the victim. The law applies equally to everyone.”
Both men face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is set for March 2, 2023.
“The jury’s verdict confirms that the rule of law serves to protect all persons in our community from vicious assaults, no matter the color of their skin,”U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Clare Connors said in a statement.
“When people commit violent crimes against someone out of hatred for the victim’s race, the Department of Justice will ensure they face criminal consequences in a court of law.”
