A 42-year-old man was stabbed with a pair of scissors and choked until he began losing consciousness in an unprovoked attack Friday afternoon in a restroom at Queen Ka'ahumanu Center, police said.
Thomas Abraham, 38, was detained by mall security officers and arrested on a charge of second-degree attempted murder in the attack at 4:36 p.m., said Lt. Jayson Rego of the Criminal Investigation Division. Bail was set at $100,000 for Abraham, who was being held at the Wailuku Police Station cellblock Saturday morning.
Abraham followed the victim, a Maui resident, into the bathroom near the mall's food court and suddenly attacked the victim from behind, Rego said. He said Abraham began punching the victim in the back of his head and used a pair of scissors to stab the victim in the back of the head. Then, Abraham knocked the victim to the ground and began punching the man in the face and choking him, Rego said.
He said the man began losing consciousness when mall security officers intervened as Abraham was sitting on the man's chest while choking him.
Medics arrived to tend to the victim, who drove himself to the Maui Memorial Medical Center emergency room for treatment, Rego said. He said that the victim suffered lacerations on the back of his head, as well as popped blood vessels in his eyes and bruises around his neck from being choked.
Abraham and the victim don't know each other, Rego said.
After being arrested, Abraham told police that he didn't know why he attacked the other man, Rego said.
He said Abraham is homeless and originally from Chicago.
