JAMM AQUINO / MAY 2 Attorney Michael Rudy speaks during a press conference in Honolulu in May. Rudy’s clients, Tevitatonga Sinamoni Vaokehekehe Cadiente, 25, and father Vaokehekehe Mouhungafa Mataele, were reportedly beaten by HPD officers after being mistaken for accomplices of the suspect, Sidney Tafokitau, who HPD chased and fatally shot in the University District on January 1.
1 /2 JAMM AQUINO / MAY 2 Attorney Michael Rudy speaks during a press conference in Honolulu in May. Rudy’s clients, Tevitatonga Sinamoni Vaokehekehe Cadiente, 25, and father Vaokehekehe Mouhungafa Mataele, were reportedly beaten by HPD officers after being mistaken for accomplices of the suspect, Sidney Tafokitau, who HPD chased and fatally shot in the University District on January 1.
STAR ADVERTISER Prosecutor Steve Alm.
2 /2 STAR ADVERTISER Prosecutor Steve Alm.
JAMM AQUINO / MAY 2 Attorney Michael Rudy speaks during a press conference in Honolulu in May. Rudy’s clients, Tevitatonga Sinamoni Vaokehekehe Cadiente, 25, and father Vaokehekehe Mouhungafa Mataele, were reportedly beaten by HPD officers after being mistaken for accomplices of the suspect, Sidney Tafokitau, who HPD chased and fatally shot in the University District on January 1.
STAR ADVERTISER Prosecutor Steve Alm.
A father and son after they were allegedly attacked by Honolulu police officers during a New Year’s chase of an attempted murder suspect are “extremely frustrated” by delays in their case, according to their attorney.
In an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Michael D. Rudy said his clients, Tevita Cadiente, 25, and his father, Vaokehekhe Mata ele, 49, were forced to delay the start of their civil lawsuit until 2026 because they failed to meet certain conditions could be met. discovery deadlines without entering into a protective order with city attorneys.
“It’s just something that… we can’t really understand why this is taking so long,” Rudy said. “To find out information we had to have a certain protection order. We were very frustrated that there was a delay in receiving anything because HPD wanted to make sure none of this was made public, which I find extremely strange. But we have to make a tactical decision. … We were confused as to why. … They were persistent. We believe it is a matter of public interest. Let the chips fall where they may.”
The pair were interviewed once for about 20 minutes as part of a criminal investigation into the incident, the findings of which await a decision by the DA’s Department on whether criminal charges should be brought against the police officers involved.
On Wednesday, prosecutor Steve Alm announced that officers were justified in shooting and killing an attempted murder victim after a cocaine- and alcohol-fueled day of chases and shootouts. made.
“The city has no comment as this lawsuit is pending,” said a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser from the city’s Department of Corporation Counsel.
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The Honolulu Police Department’s Professional Standards Office is conducting an administrative investigation of the officers involved to determine whether department policies and procedures were violated.
PSO investigators interviewed Mataele and Cadiente twice.
“The administrative investigation into the Cadiente case is ongoing and the criminal investigation has been sent to prosecutors. Due to the ongoing investigations, no additional information will be released at this time,” read a statement to the Star-Advertiser from HPD.
On Jan. 1, Cadiente, who knew Tafokitau from church, tried to call him twice to urge him to surrender, then ran with his father toward Tafokitau’s deadly shootout with Honolulu police.
The lawsuit alleges that the father and son were standing unarmed with their hands up when Cadiente was hit by a police van.
Cadiente suffered a facial fracture, a traumatic subconjunctival hemorrhage, a concussion, orthopedic knee injuries, cognitive impairment including memory loss and confusion, and vision loss after he was allegedly hit by a black police van that jumped off the sidewalk and chained him up . attach fence.
A lawsuit alleges that approximately 10 to 12 HPD officers pulled Cadiente out from under the van and beat him with their hands and the blunt ends of their weapons.
Rudy said the decision on criminal charges will not affect their civil case.
He blamed a lack of communication between the officers who chased Tafokitau for not knowing his clients were unarmed bystanders.
Rudy’s investigation revealed that the police van was traveling about 50 miles per hour when it struck Cadiente, and he wondered how the officers identified Mataele and Cadiente as threats from 100 yards behind them.
“Our own investigation shows, at the very least, a complete lack of communication between the officers who took down the perpetrator 200 meters north of Cadiente and Mataele and the officers who pointed their guns at our clients and the people who came out moments later. the van and struck Cadiente with excessive force,” Rudy said.
The decision to run over Cadiente had to be made “two to three seconds before impact.” That would have put the identification 100 yards behind these guys.
“How did you have probable cause? You are a football field away,” Rudy said. “Why did you decide… how they could be involved in this?” It’s a very interesting question. All they could have seen was two large brown men walking towards the stage together.
