A Democratic U.S. House candidate in Hawaii faces two felony terroristic threatening charges after a profanity-laced beach confrontation, captured on video, ended with him knocked unconscious and in handcuffs.
Kirill Basin, a Hawaii Democratic congressional candidate, was arrested after threatening multiple beachgoers at Keawakapu Beach on Maui, shoving a bystander, swinging a beach chair at him, and allegedly brandishing a knife, Fox News Digital reported. The bystander, Kama Homan, a man with mixed martial arts training, responded with two punches that left Basin unconscious on the sand.
A criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital alleged Basin threatened multiple people during the confrontation, including Homan. A second felony count specifically alleged Basin threatened Homan with a knife. Homan later recovered what he described as a 5-inch switchblade and turned it over to Maui police.
At Basin's initial court appearance on Tuesday, a judge maintained his bail at $1 million and imposed a no-contact order covering Homan and four other individuals. Basin's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday at 1 p.m.
The video shows Basin approaching beachgoers and telling one man, "Put your bag away, bro. Put your bag away." A woman approached, and Basin addressed the group: "I told him if he wants to go to the hospital, come here."
The confrontation appeared to cool briefly. Basin said "It is over" and shook another person's hand. But he quickly turned toward another beachgoer, shouted an obscenity, and resumed arguing. He repeatedly challenged the man: "What are you going to do?"
When a woman called Basin "a child," he turned on her and threatened to "put [her] in the ground" and "in the hospital," then walked away calling her a derogatory term. The incident is the latest in a string of troubling episodes involving the candidate.
Basin then walked back toward his belongings. Homan approached from behind. Basin shoved Homan, and the two began scuffling. Basin stumbled backward over two beach chairs and fell to the sand.
He got back up, grabbed a beach chair, and swung it at Homan. Homan shoved the chair aside and punched Basin, knocking him unconscious. Homan walked over and repeatedly told Basin to "wake up."
Homan told the New York Post and Hawaii News Now that he stepped in only after watching Basin escalate:
"I'm like, maybe I should intervene. As I got closer and closer, he was just getting more irate and violent."
Homan described the physical exchange plainly:
"He put his hands on me and as soon as he tried to shove me, I hit him with a left and a right. That's when he stumbled and fell over the chairs."
After regaining consciousness, Basin told someone he was "going to jail." But he did not stay down. He walked away, then charged back toward Homan while shouting obscenities. Police arrested him shortly after.
Basin also allegedly threatened beachgoers with a gun and pulled a knife, which he tossed into the water before police recovered it, Fox News reported. The confrontation reportedly began after Basin was asked to turn down his music.
The judge's conditions for any potential release go well beyond the no-contact order. Basin must stay away from Keawakapu Beach, including its parking lot. He cannot possess firearms or ammunition. He must avoid drugs and alcohol, submit to random drug testing, and undergo a mental health assessment with any recommended treatment.
Fox News Digital reached out to Basin and his attorney, Brandon Segal, for comment. No response was reported. The case adds to a growing list of Hawaii Democratic officials facing criminal charges in recent months.
Basin is not the only political candidate to find himself in handcuffs close to an election cycle. Across the country, voters have watched candidates arrested on felony charges while still asking for public trust at the ballot box.
Several open questions remain. The specific congressional district Basin is running in was not identified in reporting. The identities of the four other individuals covered by the no-contact order have not been disclosed. And it remains unclear whether the knife Homan described as a 5-inch switchblade has been independently confirmed by police or only reflects Homan's characterization.
What is clear is what the video shows: a man running for Congress who threatened strangers on a public beach, shoved a bystander, swung furniture at him, and, after being knocked flat, got up and charged again. The criminal complaint alleges he did it with a knife. The arrest and charges that followed speak for themselves.
Voters in Hawaii will have to decide whether a man facing $1 million bail and a court-ordered mental health assessment belongs on a congressional ballot. The video makes the decision easier than it should have to be.
