Man from Puna arrested for assault after traffic accident

(BIVN) – A reported traffic accident on Government Beach Road resulted in an alleged assault, including an attack with an axe, which led to the arrest of a Puna man.

According to Hawaii police, 44-year-old Daniel Jones of Pahoa was arrested and charged following the July 8 incident.

Jones was charged with the following offenses:

• First degree assault
• First degree terrorist threat
• Second degree assault
• Third degree assault
• Third degree criminal damage
• Fourth degree criminal damage (two counts)

A police press release describes the incident:

On Monday, July 8, 2024, at 11:26 a.m., Puna District Patrol Officers responded to a report of an active assault in the area of ​​the 14-2800 block of Government Beach Road in Pahoa.

When officers arrived at the scene, they made contact with a 49-year-old man from Puna who stated that he had been in a traffic accident with the suspect, who became violent towards him. The victim reported that when he tried to call the police, the suspect attacked and abused him by biting and hitting him. The victim also stated that the suspect hit him with an axe and threatened to kill him.

The victim suffered a cut on his right forearm from the axe strike and also suffered numerous abrasions on various parts of his body. The victim also reported that the suspect threw his cell phone on the ground and destroyed it and struck several parts of his vehicle with the axe, causing damage.

The suspect’s vehicle was seized at the scene and towed to the secured evidence cage at the Hilo Police Station pending the execution of a search warrant.

Both the victim and suspect were transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center for treatment of their injuries and released shortly thereafter. Officers arrested the suspect, identified as 44-year-old Daniel Jones of Pahoa. He was transported to the East Hawai’i Detention Center where he was booked, processed and further investigated by detectives.

On Tuesday, July 9, 2024, detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Division executed a search warrant on the suspect’s vehicle and seized several axe-shaped weapons.