A planned vacation in Hawaii turned into a bloody assault for a California family visiting a luxury Maui resort. Seven visitors from California were brutalized by a mob in West Maui, resulting in six of them receiving medical treatment.
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The July 17 incident occurred around 10 p.m. at Kaanapali Alii resort in Lahaina, where Maui police responded to reports of a disorderly gathering involving about 30 people, Hawaii News Now reported.
Responding officers reportedly found 10 to 15 people still at the scene, several of them with visible injuries, according to the Maui Police Department.
Several members of the family group, ranging in age from 11 to 85, told police they were in the resort's pool area when they were violently overwhelmed by a large group of juveniles. They allege that members of the violent mob were throwing chairs and beating defenseless people.
Massive Brawl Breaks Out at Hawaiian Resort
Family member Joseph Headfield said the attack began moments after racial insults were issued by a woman he described as the group's ringleader.
"There were three females, one of which was the ringleader," Headfield told Hawaii News Now. "She got up in people's faces, said, 'We're going to beat up your boys tonight. We're going to beat up the haole boys.'"
"Haole" is a Hawaiian term for a person who is not of Native Hawaiian or Polynesian descent. It is commonly used to describe non-locals.
Headfield said that several of his family members were struck with patio furniture during the melee.
"The kids were beating people with the chairs," he said.
One of the family's relatives required 13 stitches after being hit in the head with a chair.
A 20-year-old man from Makawao was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault but was later released pending further investigation.
Police said the case remains active.
"We recognize the significant impact this incident has had on those involved. We remain committed to conducting a thorough, fair and impartial investigation," MPD spokesperson Alana Pico told SFGATE.
The Kaanapali Alii resort said that it is cooperating with law enforcement and remains committed to the safety and security of its guests.
"The safety and wellbeing of our guests, residents and team members remains our highest priority," Steven Rose, managing director for the CoralTree Residence Collection, which owns the resort, told SFGATE. "We take incidents of this nature very seriously. And are focused on supporting those impacted."
