A deputy sheriff shot a Maui man who allegedly struck him Wednesday afternoon near the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Honolulu police later arrested the man, Colton Roberts, 27, while he recovered at The Queen’s Medical Center. He was in stable condition as of Thursday morning.

The deputy was taken to a separate area hospital, according to police.

HPD is investigating Roberts for first-degree assault of a law enforcement officer, a class C felony. He remains in police custody.

Sheriff Vehicle at the Capitol.
A state deputy sheriff shot a Maui man Thursday afternoon. Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2019

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety, which houses the Sheriffs Division, declined to comment, and referred inquiries to the Honolulu Police Department.

On Wednesday, the unidentified sheriff, 41, saw the man near an abandoned warehouse, according to a police summary of the incident.

Hawaii News Now reported that the shooting occurred around 5 p.m. on Ualena Street, which is part of an industrial area near the airport.

While the sheriff was trying to identify him, Roberts allegedly struck the sheriff multiple times before the sheriff shot him.

Roberts was taken to the hospital in critical condition but later stabilized, Hawaii News Now reported.

Court records show Roberts was set to appear in a Wailuku court Tuesday for a pretrial conference in a misdemeanor abuse case. Roberts previously entered a not guilty plea for the alleged instance of abuse that happened in May.

A public defender representing Roberts in the case couldn’t be reached Thursday.

Deputy sheriffs in Hawaii have jurisdiction over state facilities, like airports, courthouses and the State Capitol.

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