Honolulu pays $1.8M after police rammed and beat the wrong man in a manhunt
During a nine-hour New Year's Day 2024 manhunt for an armed suspect, Honolulu police mistook Tevitatonga Cadiente, an unarmed bystander with no link to the crimes, for the suspect. His lawsuit says officers rammed him with a police van against a fence and beat him after he was on the ground; his father was handcuffed on the pavement. Cadiente suffered a concussion and facial fractures. A federal judge wrote that officers punched and struck him while he lay on the ground. Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm declined to charge the officers in early 2025, calling their actions justified. In October 2026 the Honolulu City Council approved a $1.8 million settlement paid by taxpayers. The city denied wrongdoing; HPD agreed to the terms and declined further comment. Coverage does not report any discipline of the six officers named in the amended complaint.
But it was a case of mistaken identity.
Cadiente was rammed against a fence by a police vehicle and then beaten by multiple officers
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