Hawai‘i Police Department
Criminal Investigation Section – Area II
Acting Lieutenant Carrie Akina
Phone: (808) 326-4646, Ext. 277
Report No.: 22-070658
Media Release
Hawai‘i Island police have arrested and charged 21-year-old Gabriel E. Mendoza, of North Kohala, with felony assault stemming from an altercation that occurred at a Kailua-Kona business establishment in mid-August.
On Saturday, August 13, 2022, at 1:00 a.m., Kona patrol officers responded to a report of a possible stabbing at a bar in the 75-5000 block of Ali‘i Drive. Officers located the victim, an adult male employee of the establishment, and observed him to have a puncture-type stab wound to his abdomen. The victim confirmed being stabbed by an unknown younger male who had been denied entry into the establishment for providing false identification. The victim was treated by medics at the scene, transported to Kona Community Hospital for further treatment, and later released.
Detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigation Section continued the investigation and identified Mendoza as the person responsible for the stabbing.
On Wednesday, August 24, Mendoza was located and arrested without incident. After conferring with the County Prosecutors Office, detectives charged Mendoza with first-degree assault.
Mendoza’s bail was set at $25,000. His initial court appearance was scheduled for Friday, August 26, in Kona District Court.
