Hawaii Beat

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Monday, December 27, 1999

OSU players
stabbed in Waikiki

Police working on leads

Associated Press

Two Oregon State players were stabbed early yesterday outside a Waikiki Jack in the Box restaurant, hours after playing in the Oahu Bowl.

Charles O'Neal, a 288-pound defensive tackle, was stabbed in the lower back with a knife, and Paul Luoma, a 285-pound defensive tackle, was cut on the torso, police said.

O'Neal was in stable condition at The Queen's Medical Center, and was expected to remain hospitalized another day, Oregon State athletic director Mitch Barnhart said. The hospital declined to release any information.

"The last 24 hours have been a little tough," Barnhart said last night from his home in Corvallis. "My biggest concern at this point in time is in Charles' safety."

The knife with a 4-inch blade was still in O'Neal's back when he arrived at the hospital, according to police, who opened an attempted murder investigation.

Luoma was treated and released and left Honolulu yesterday.