2 men arrested in
gambling turf warA dispute over security ended
in violence at an illegal gaming site
Police arrested two men Tuesday in what they said is a turf war over security for illegal gambling operations.
A 29-year-old Waipahu man was arrested for investigation of second-degree attempted murder and assault, while a 33-year-old Nanakuli man was arrested for investigation of assault.
Police said the suspects had entered an illegal gambling house on Young Street on July 30 and beat two other men who were hired as security guards for the operation. They used aluminum baseball bats, chairs and sticks and stabbed one of the victims multiple times. They then ransacked the game room, police said.
Police say the suspects provide security for illegal gambling operations and that the victims were not part of their organization.
Both victims were taken to the Queen's Medical Center with severe injuries.
One of the victims, 42, suffered broken ribs, while the other one, 40, suffered a broken nose and eight stab wounds, said Lt. Bill Kato, HPD Career Criminal Detail supervisor.
Both have been released from the hospital.
Most of the stab wounds were to the victim's legs because he curled up his body and kicked as his attacker attempted to stab him in the abdomen, Kato said.
Other illegal gambling houses have been robbed in the past, but the victims, the operators and customers, refused to cooperate with police.
"What's unusual about this one is, the (victims) identified the suspects," Kato said.
The 33-year-old suspect was arrested at HPD headquarters after one of the victims identified him in a photographic lineup, police said.
The other suspect was arrested at a Kakaako nightclub.
