A 21-year-old Pahoa man accused of slashing a 21-year-old Hilo man with a machete during an altercation early Saturday morning made his initial court appearance Monday.
Hilo District Judge Harry Freitas scheduled a preliminary hearing 2 p.m. Wednesday for Atkinson Nakashima. Nakashima is charged with attempted murder for the alleged attack on the victim, identified in court documents as Tanielu David Aiava.
Bail was set at $50,000 in the case and the judge ordered a bail study be done prior to the prelim.
The document states the alleged assault occurred in the basketball court area of Hale Kawili Apartments, just mauka of the University of Hawaii at Hilo campus on Kawili Street.
Nakashima appeared in custody, accompanied by defense attorney Christopher Bridges and Chuukese language interpreter Lesther Muritok. Bridges was appointed by the court because of a conflict by the Office of the Public Defender.
“The Office of the Public Defender represents a potential co-defendant in this case who is also a material witness and who is a minor,” said Deputy Public Defender Austin Hsu.
Police identified the minor as a 16-year-old boy.
According to the document, Aiava told police he “was attempting to stop two parties, who were yelling and running in the basketball court area” of the apartment complex, which is the school’s former Adult Student Housing.
The affidavit states Aiava said he “became involved in a physical confrontation with” Nakashima. Aiava allegedly told officers that while he was on top of Nakashima, the minor slashed Aiava “to his right chin and neck area” with the machete, from the rear. The weapon was described as approximately 18 inches long.
Aiava, who was hospitalized, reportedly suffered a laceration about 10-inches long and an inch deep. The document states an emergency room physician at Hilo Medical Center stated Aiava sustained “serious bodily injury to include permanent disfigurement.”
The document said Nakashima “made a spontaneous statement” to police that it was he who hit the victim with the machete.
Nakashima, according to the document, was drunk when he was arrested at 2:25 a.m.
Bridges questioned the accuracy of the document in court.
“It actually makes reference that the person was actually struck with a machete by (the minor), not by my client,” he told the judge.
Deputy Prosecutor Shaunda Liu acknowledged the document “is poorly written,” but noted ”the last line of the … summary says the defendant made a statement he was the one” who swung the machete.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.