A Honolulu police sergeant caught on surveillance video repeatedly striking his girlfriend in a Waipahu restaurant won’t face criminal charges after a grand jury decided Wednesday not to indict him.
The decision is likely to incite anger and increased debate over how the Honolulu Police Department and other law enforcement agencies in Hawaii handle domestic violence.
Already there have been calls for reform from female lawmakers, who have criticized the department for mishandling abuse cases.
HPD has come under intense scrutiny over the Cachola case.
PF Bentley/Civil Beat
Darren Cachola is still under an HPD administrative investigation as are the responding officers who did not arrest him or file a report about the incident as is required by policy.
HPD Spokeswoman Teresa Bell said the department is still reviewing the incident and whether disciplinary action, from reprimand to termination, will be imposed on any of the officers involved.
The department’s own criminal investigation did not turn up enough evidence to arrest Cachola, but the case was handed over to the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for additional review.
Dave Koga, a spokesman for Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro said his agency does not have any comment on the grand jury’s decision not to indict.
The surveillance video:
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