Court documents allege an 18-year-old man fatally stabbed a 21-year-old man with a “dagger-type knife” during the early morning hours of Dec. 6.
Lionel J. Winebush is being held at the Oahu Community Correctional Center for second-degree murder in Tony Taki’s death. A Honolulu medical examiner determined Taki died of stab wound to his torso. The manner of death was classified as a homicide.
Honolulu police in court documents said 11 males including Winebush drove to Waikiki from Tantalus in four different vehicles to retaliate against another group of males.
The group sought retaliation after the other group chased one of the males with machetes in a previous confrontation, police said.
Police reviewed surveillance video camera footage that showed four vehicles arriving at the corner of Kuhio and Seaside avenues just before 2:45 a.m. Dec. 6. Police said Taki and the other males were seen in a grassy area and drinking near a bus stop fronting the Royal Kuhio Hotel at 2240 Kuhio Ave.
Court documents alleged Winebush was seen with a knife in his waistband and that a sheath from Winebush fell to the ground. One of the males with Winebush told him they “just came to scrap” and that a knife should not be used when they confront the group.
Police said the group attacked the other while Taki and the other males were on the grass near the bus stop, prompting the males to run in different directions.
Police said the surveillance footage showed Taki run to Seaside Avenue and then to Manukai Street on the mauka side of the hotel. The group chased after Taki into Manukai Street where one male was seen punching Taki and Winebush made a “stab motion” at Taki’s torso area, police said.
Taki ran from the group when two other males caught up to him. Police said the males assaulted Taki, one of whom assaulted him with a bat.
Taki became unresponsive and was taken to The Queen’s Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Winebush and the rest of the group fled in their vehicles to McCully Shopping Center where one of the males allegedly saw Winebush holding a dagger-
type knife. The knife had a 6-inch-long blade with a black handle.
Court documents alleged Winebush said, “I think I stabbed him,” when one of the males asked him whether he used the knife.
Police said the group then drove to a Tantalus lookout where Winebush was seen burning a sheath on the ground.
During a police investigation Winebush was positively identified as the stabbing suspect.
Police recovered the burned sheath at the lookout Friday afternoon. Shortly afterward, officers of the District 6 Crime Reduction Unit located Winebush at an apartment building in the Punahou area and arrested him on suspicion of second-degree murder.
Winebush’s bail is set at $500,000.
