A man allegedly carrying a knife and threatening to kill the Maui mayor came as close as his reception area Tuesday morning, leaving only after being told the mayor was not in the office.
The Wailuku man, 25, was later arrested by Maui police.
Mayor Alan Arakawa said he has no plans to change his open-door policy.
"I feel this is an isolated incident. … These doors will remain open," he said. "People need to feel free to come in, make an appointment and talk to their government officials."
Arakawa said the doors on his ninth-floor office will remain unlocked, as they have been since the start of his administration last year.
Arakawa said he was thankful to police for their quick response and to a female witness who promptly reported the threat.
Maui Police spokesman Wayne Ibarra said the man put up no resistance when he was arrested at his residence in Wailuku, and a knife with a 6-inch blade was recovered, Ibarra said.
Ibarra said the man was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center psychiatric ward for evaluation.
"Preliminary investigation revealed that male may have been suffering from possible mental health issues," Ibarra said.
Police said that at about 7:35 a.m. Tuesday, a woman who was walking her dogs near the employee parking lot of the Maui County building near High Street saw a man brandishing a knife.
When she asked him what he was going to do with the knife, she said he told her that he was going to "murder the mayor," Ibarra said.
Ibarra said the woman called 911 to report the incident.
The man then entered the county building and asked some employees how to get to the mayor’s office before going to the ninth floor.
The man spoke to the front desk receptionist there and asked to see the mayor, but the receptionist said Arakawa was not in yet and asked the man to sign in so she could make an appointment, police said.
"The individual left a first name and his phone number and then left without making any additional threats," Ibarra said.
Ibarra said police opened an investigation and identified the man, arresting him at 10:15 a.m. for allegedly threatening Arakawa’s life.
