Unacceptable': Student arrested after Baldwin High attack caught on video

Maui Police Arrest Student After Campus Assault Caught on Camera

“The boy was not fighting back. He was just walking away trying to diffuse the situation and he got attacked. That’s unacceptable.”

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Maui police have made an arrest and stepped up security patrols at Baldwin High School following a campus assault that was captured on video and circulated online, Hawaii News Now reported. The incident occurred on Monday on the school’s campus in Wailuku and involved a physical altercation where a male student was repeatedly struck while attempting to leave the area.

Inside the Footage: A Brutal Minute on Campus

In the footage, which remains blurred due to the involvement of minors, a boy kicks and punches another student for nearly a minute. The victim can be seen trying to walk away while someone records the confrontation, with onlookers watching and laughing. The video shows the victim falling to the ground after absorbing a direct kick to the head before an adult intervenes to separate the individuals.

Lt. Grant Hutaff-Nakamura, commander of the Maui Police Department’s Juvenile Crime Prevention Division, described the attack in stark terms to investigators.

Community Reaction and Rising Concerns

Jamie Nahooikaika, a Wailuku mother of two with twins on the way and an alumna of the school, shared her perspective with Hawaii News Now.

“That’s just very disappointing, especially because the other boy was just walking. But to also have friends that encourage that is very, very disappointing.”

School Administration and Law Enforcement Response

Following the incident, the Maui Police Department assigned a second student resource officer to the Baldwin High campus. Investigators confirmed that the suspect was arrested and booked on assault charges as the criminal investigation continues.

Three days after the attack took place, school administrators sent a letter to parents addressing the circulating footage. The communication assured families that the administration responded immediately, coordinating with the students involved, their families, and the Maui Police Department to implement safety measures.

While privacy laws prevent school officials from releasing specifics regarding individual students or disciplinary actions, the Department of Education emphasized that physical violence violates core campus policies. The administration urged families to discuss respectful behavior with their children and asked students and parents to refrain from sharing or amplifying the video online, noting that digital distribution causes additional harm to those involved.

Lt. Hutaff-Nakamura reiterated the department’s goal to restore a secure environment for students arriving on campus. They should feel safe coming to school. School should be a safe place and that’s what we want to make it, he said.