Police say man who died
had refused to go to hospital
The 24-year-old Mililani man who died in police custody Sunday after allegedly threatening people with knives had refused to go to the hospital, police said yesterday.
Kevin Silva was arrested Sunday night following allegations that he had been threatening bystanders with two kitchen knives near Kipapa Park.
Acting Police Chief Glen Kajiyama said yesterday that when officers arrived, bystanders had restrained Silva. Silva continued to struggle with officers while he was being handcuffed and placed in leg irons, and even when he was brought to Wahiawa General Hospital, Kajiyama said.
"At the hospital, the male continued to resist and refused to get out of the vehicle," said Kajiyama. "Because the male had no visible injuries, the decision was made to take the male to the Wahiawa police station."
At the station, he "was observed to be unresponsive and an ambulance was called for," said Kajiyama. Silva was taken back to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses at the park said two off-duty police officers helped subdue Silva before uniformed police officers arrived, and used a bat to knock the knives out of his hands and to hit his legs.
Both homicide and police Internal Affairs are investigating.
In June 2000, Silva was arrested after police said he caused several accidents in Moanalua. Police said Silva suffered self-inflicted stab wounds then, and was taken in critical condition to a hospital. Family members later said he had been despondent over a failing relationship with his then-girlfriend.
The city Medical Examiner's Office is awaiting toxicology test results before releasing the cause of Silva's death.