CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
John Browning inspected the broken handrail on the deck of his brother Bill's 71-foot catamaran at the Waikiki Yacht Club harbor yesterday. Both brothers' multimillion-dollar yachts were damaged late Tuesday night when a man motoring a 76-foot powerboat rammed back and forth between the docks, damaging other boats and the club's property.
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Man wreaks havoc at Ala Wai Harbor
A suspect allegedly damages several craft and two piers trying to evade police
An out-of-control powerboat plowed into a 70-foot catamaran Tuesday night at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor, knocking vacationing Arizona resident Bill Browning out of bed.
"At first I thought we were having an earthquake," Browning said. "It sounded like my boat came undone and was scraping against the rocks."
Browning went onto the deck of the Double Barrel, where he saw the 76-foot Prowler reverse into other boats, piers and his $1.5 million catamaran five more times at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor.
Neal Timon, 65, was arrested after a police officer and an engineer from another boat jumped aboard the Prowler.
Timon was charged yesterday with operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant and fleeing from the scene of an accident. Bail was set at $1,000.
Timon had refused to take a breathalyzer test and was then taken to the Queen's Medical Center before being charged.
The boat crashes came after Timon allegedly attempted to flee from police after crashing his convertible into a sport utility vehicle at the harbor parking lot, police said. The SUV belonged to a boyfriend of Timon's girlfriend, police said.
A witness to the crash directed the six officers to two boats near the Ala Wai Marine Center where Timon was hiding, police said. Police began questioning the owner of the first boat before Timon came out of the cabin, swearing. Timon ordered another man on board to loosen the anchor before powering the boat toward the Ala Wai channel.
The Coast Guard was also called to the scene.
"As soon as he fired his engine, I could tell there was something wrong," Capt. Jono Saunders said.
Saunders witnessed the incident from aboard the Kauhale Kai, a 90-foot yacht that belonged to Browning's brother, John Browning.
Kauhale Kai engineer Michael Weber helped police stop Timon by jumping aboard the Prowler. Police reported Timon as being belligerent and uncooperative.
Repairing the New Zealand-made Double Barrel, which included smashed railings and hulls, will cost more than $60,000, Bill Browning said.
"By the sixth time he hit me, I thought my boat was going to snap in half," he said.
Eight to 10 boats and two new piers were damaged at the harbor. The total damage is being investigated, Waikiki Yacht Club Manager Peter Detrich said.
Among the damaged boats was the $4.5 million Kauhale Kai. Frontal damage to the Kauhale Kai's hull, rubber railing and aluminum exterior, as well as a paint job, will amount to $25,000, said John Browning.