Use of beanbag
shotgun in standoff
defended by police

The reportedly suicidal suspect
'required intervention'

By Nelson Daranciang
Star-Bulletin

Honolulu police fired at least two rounds from a beanbag shotgun at a 46-year-old Waimanalo man Thursday night during a nine-hour standoff in Punchbowl.

The man did not surrender until 2-12 hours later.

Still, Capt. Doug Miller of the Police Department's Specialized Services Division defended the use of the "less-than-lethal" weapon.

"It didn't then and there resolve the standoff. But the specific action that the suspect was undertaking at the moment required intervention," Miller said.

Miller would not say what specific action the man took, but he said police would have been justified in using lethal force.

The man's friends reported to police that he threatened to kill himself with a homemade weapon designed to fire a single shotgun shell.

The man surrendered at 2:20 a.m. yesterday and was taken to Queen's Medical Center, Miller said.

He had two large bruises on his body, according to Honolulu Police spokeswoman Jean Motoyama.

The Police Department automatically places officers who fire their weapon in public on administrative duty while Internal Affairs conducts an investigation.

Miller said that is not the case with "less-than-lethal" weapons.