A lawsuit filed by the family of a Hawaiʻi prisoner who was severely beaten at Hālawa Correctional Facility early this year alleges prison staff allowed gang members to pass through security checkpoints to attack a protective custody inmate who was housed in another part of the facility.
Aaron Ka’ehu was placed in protective custody at Hālawa after a prison gang called Murder Inc. “ordered a hit” on him, according to the lawsuit, but “that protection was an illusion,” according to the lawsuit. It added that the beating on Jan. 3 caused bleeding in Ka’ehu’s brain that led to permanent brain damage as well as broken facial bones and broken ribs.
Staff at the prison failed to make mandatory security checks after the attack, leaving Ka’ehu unattended and choking on his blood in his cell for hours, according to the lawsuit filed on behalf of Ka’ehu’s mother, Cheryl Ka’ehu-Anderson. Ka’ehu allegedly remained on the floor of his cell long enough for the blood to dry on his mouth before he received medical attention…