Honolulu police are investigating a stabbing on Sheridan Street that followed a large brawl Sunday morning.
Officers arrested a 21-year-old Kalihi man a few blocks away on King Street on suspicion of attempted murder and a drug charge, police said.
Arriving officers broke up a fight involving about 20 people just after 7 a.m., police said.
The victim, a 22-year-old man, went to the hospital in stable condition. Police said paramedics treated him at the scene and were able to stop the bleeding.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
It’s at least the third violent incident in the Keeaumoku Street area in the last month.
On March 15, police said two men were stabbed in front of the Keeaumoku McDonald’s.
Paramedics took a 26-year-old man to the hospital in critical condition. A 22-year-old man was treated and released from the hospital.
In that incident, police said, a group of five young men and women got into a fight with another group just after 4 a.m. on the Sheridan Street side of the McDonald’s parking lot. The fight spilled over to the sidewalk on the Ewa side of Keeaumoku Street, where the two men were stabbed by the suspect, police said.
The suspect fled and no arrest has been made.
Police are investigating whether that fight was related to Sunday’s incident.
A third early morning altercation happened March 3 on Makaloa Street near the Walgreens on Keeaumoku Street. Paramedics took a 21-year-old man to the hospital with stab wounds, and police said a 20-year-old man was hit with a baseball bat around 5:30 a.m.
Police arrested a 20-year-old Ewa Beach man but released him after the victims declined to press charges.
Area residents say the spate of violence has them worried.
"It’s a bar area. You worry about DUIs, but other than that, no, you don’t expect things like this," said Mark Nakamura, 59, who has lived in the area for seven years and works at the nearby Walmart. "What’s it going to come to? You’ve got to arm yourself? I’d say it’s still safe but you really gotta watch out."
Residents also say with so many bars open late — and some establishments open 24 hours, like the Keeaumoku Walmart and McDonald’s — they’d like to see more police patrolling the area at night and in the early morning.
"This place is high crime, high drunk driving," said a 58-year-old Army veteran who has lived in the Ala Moana-Kakaako area for about 40 years. He declined to give his name out of fear for his safety.
"As soon as the sun goes down, it’s different here, different people," he said. "This is the problem I have with HPD. They have good reaction but no prevention. They react, they send 50 cops to the scene, but if you park one cop here at night, you’re going to prevent this stabbing."
Larry Hurst, chairman of the Ala Moana-Kakaako Neighborhood Board, said the police are doing the best they can with what they have.
"They’re really just stretched too thin," he said. "Stuff can go wild all over the streets, but if you don’t have enough people to cover it all, that leaves holes in other areas. As soon as it gets dark and there’s so much activity, it’s a perfect cover for a lot of bad things and people."
