HONOLULU (KHON2) — The father and son who claim they were mistakenly targeted and beaten during an island-wide manhunt on New Year’s Day 2024 are still waiting for their day in court. They filed a lawsuit against the city and individual officers, alleging police brutality.
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It has been nearly a year since Tavita Cadiente and his father, Vao Mataele, filed a federal civil lawsuit seeking justice for what they say was police brutality and excessive use of force by Honolulu Police Department (HPD) officers, who were closing in on suspect Sidney Tafokitau.
Their attorney, Michael Rudy, expressed frustration with the slow pace of the investigation.
“Extremely frustrated, and I think the message is that this case is bigger than just involving our clients. This really concerns the integrity of the process,” Rudy said.
In the lawsuit, Cadiente and Mataele claim they were targeted while walking toward the University area after witnessing a police chase and hearing gunshots. The lawsuit alleges that Cadiente was pinned under a police van and then beaten by plainclothes officers.