A 29-year-old Honolulu police officer was arrested late Tuesday on suspicion of domestic violence after he allegedly placed a 25-year-old woman he lives with in a chokehold.
Timothy Christopher Massie was placed on restriction of police authority while the Honolulu Police Department conducts criminal and administrative investigations into the allegations.
Massie was arrested Tuesday night at 11:44 p.m. in Ewa Beach at a home on Hoomalule Place for suspicion of abuse of family or household members. He is free on bail and has not been charged by the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.
Massie allegedly put the 25-year-old woman in a chokehold from behind during a disagreement. The woman went to the Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center, and staff treating her injuries called the police.
Officers were sent to Massie’s Ewa Beach home and arrested him.
“The HPD takes allegations of domestic violence seriously and thoroughly investigates each case. In addition to the criminal investigation, officers are also subject to administrative investigation and potential disciplinary action, up to and including termination,” Honolulu Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Robert Cavaco, an HPD lieutenant and president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, condemned domestic violence but said the accused officer has a right to due process.
“Domestic violence can never be tolerated, and this allegation should be fully and impartially investigated by the Honolulu Police Department,” Cavaco told the Star-Advertiser. “Each of our officers has a right to due process, and SHOPO firmly supports a fair process that holds our officers to the high standards expected of them by our fellow officers and the community we serve.”
A felony domestic violence investigation was initiated by police because of the allegations that Massie choked the victim.
Any domestic violence incident that “consists of intentionally or knowingly causing bodily injury by impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood by applying pressure on the throat or the neck with any part of the body or a ligature” is a felony according to Hawaii law.
Massie has five years of service with the Honolulu Police Department and is assigned to police patrol District 1, which covers the downtown Honolulu area from Liliha to Punahou streets and from Round Top Drive to Ala Moana Beach, including Aloha Tower.
In 2022, Massie was suspended for a day after he “failed to conduct a thorough investigation and follow proper procedures as required by departmental policy,” according to HPD’s annual discipline report submitted to state lawmakers.
Massie was investigated and suspended after he ignored a call for service from a maintenance worker at the Philip Street Elderly Housing who reported an intruder on the property.
Massie ignored the call, and the intruder beat up and sexually assaulted a senior before he was arrested about a week later, according to sources.
HPD announced Massie’s arrest Wednesday in a social media post.
“An HPD officer was arrested for abuse of a family or household member. Criminal and administrative investigations have been initiated. The officer will be placed on restrictive duty,” read the post.
