A Democratic candidate for Congress in Hawaii, Kirill Basin, 40, was arrested on Keawakapu Beach in Maui on Saturday following an altercation over loud music. Basin was filmed throwing a chair at a stranger and allegedly threatened bystanders with a knife.
The incident began when a 61-year-old man approached Basin to ask him to turn down his music. According to police, Basin responded by stating he possessed a firearm and would shoot the man's wife. Kama Homan, 41, then intervened after witnessing Basin's aggressive behavior. Homan stated that after Basin shoved him, he used mixed martial arts techniques to defend himself, striking Basin and causing him to fall over chairs.
Video footage shows Basin swinging a deck chair at Homan before Homan knocked him unconscious. Homan described the ensuing events, stating, "He ended up pulling the knife out on me after the altercation and that was obviously a game changer when I knew he was off."
Maui Police reported that Basin also pulled out a knife and threatened multiple individuals before discarding it into the ocean. Homan claimed to have retrieved the six-inch switchblade from the shore and given it to officers.
However, Basin's attorney, Brandon Segal, disputed these claims in court, stating, "There's no evidence in any of these videos that have been circulated tremendously that he ever had a knife in his possession. He never had a firearm in his possession." Segal also argued that Basin's $1 million bail was excessive and indicated his client intends to plead not guilty to two felony charges of making terroristic threats.
This is not the first legal issue for Basin. In May, he was charged with terroristic threats after allegedly confronting two employees with a firearm inside a government building. Details surrounding that incident and the individuals Basin allegedly threatened remain unclear, but police noted it followed a series of unusual behaviors.
Prior to the beach incident, Basin was removed from a South Maui town hall meeting on May 30 after a heated exchange with Councilmember Tom Cook and his staff. According to Cook's executive assistant Jared Agtunong, Basin confronted him in the parking lot after being escorted out, necessitating police intervention.
Basin has denied the allegations in the May incident and filed a lawsuit claiming wrongful arrest. The Daily Mail has reached out to Basin for comment regarding his latest arrest.