A 27-year-old man facing assault and robbery charges for a violent midday attack Sunday in downtown Hilo that hospitalized a 68-year-old man said the victim “got what he deserved,” according to court documents filed by police.
Documents state Chad Armitage Jr. told officers he knew the victim, Dennis Irvine Kamahele, and that Kamahele owed him money from a bet.
Armitage allegedly said told police Kamahele slapped him in the face, “talked s—t” to him, and insulted his baseball team. Armitage said he got mad, “judo flipped” Kamahele to the ground, and collected $5 that was next to Kamahele, and told police that Kamahele owed him $15 more, according to documents.
Police responding to the report of an assault fronting 166 Keawe St. at about 12:43 p.m. found Kamahele unresponsive with head injuries and bleeding from the right side of his head, documents state. According to documents, Kamahele’s wallet was on the ground next to him, as was a Visa gift card.
Documents state Dr. Douglas Calvert at Hilo Medical Center reported Kamahele’s injuries were a subdural hematoma — a serious condition in which blood collects between the skull and the brain — an intercranial hemorrhage, right-side skull fracture and fractured right eye socket. Kamahele was flown to The Queen’s Medical Center for further treatment and remained there on a ventilator, according to documents.
A married couple reportedly witnessed the attack, and the wife told officers she saw the suspect standing over Kamahele and punching him in the stomach and face before stomping on the elderly man’s face. As the couple approached Armitage, he fled in the Puna direction toward Subway and Downtown Laundry Express, according to documents.
An off-duty police officer, Lt. Bobbie-Jo Sagon, was walking Hamakua-bound on Keawe and approaching the area where Kamahele was assaulted, documents state.
The husband of the married couple pointed out Armitage to Sagon, but Armitage initially escaped capture by police. Surveillance video from Downtown Laundry Express provided a tentative identification of Armitage, and Sagon positively identified him from a photo lineup, according to documents.
Armitage later was spotted at about 5:18 p.m. in front of a building on the 400 block of Kilauea Avenue and taken into custody after a short foot chase by officers, police said.
Armitage is charged with two counts of first-degree assault and a single account of second-degree robbery. All are Class B felonies that normally carry a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment upon conviction. Prosecutors, however, allege Armitage is subject to extended terms of imprisonment and mandatory sentencing as a repeat offender and an offender against the elderly.
At Armitage’s initial court appearance Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. Hilo District Judge Bruce Larson maintained Armitage’s bail at $75,000 and ordered him to return to court today for a preliminary hearing.
According to documents, Armitage has three prior felony convictions, including first-degree assault in 2019 for an attack on a 48-year-old male acquaintance that sent the victim to the hospital. Armitage was sentenced to four years of probation for that assault, but his probation was revoked in May.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
