Hawaii Congressional Candidate Arrested Following Gun Incident

A Democratic candidate for the U.S. House from Hawaii, Kirill Basin, allegedly fired a gun at authorities after reportedly storming a government building. This occurred on a Friday morning around 9:30 a.m., when he was said to have threatened two workers from Maui County before fleeing the scene, as reported by local news.

The candidate, who was leading in the race for Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, was later apprehended at his home around 12:30 p.m. on charges of making a first-degree terroristic threat.

Interestingly, just a day prior to this incident, Basin took to Instagram claiming that police had tortured him for 14 hours. In his post, he described this experience, stating, “This is the case I handled today. It basically outlines how three police officers tortured me for 14 hours. That’s the point. Nothing like this will ever happen to anyone again.”

His lawsuit alleges that the police inflicted “prolonged and systematic physical, sexual, and psychological abuse” during his time in custody, and notably, he is filing this lawsuit on his own without legal representation.

Leading up to this event, Basin’s behavior had become more erratic. Just two days before his arrest, he reportedly engaged in a heated argument with City Councilman Tom Cook and staff at a town hall meeting, necessitating police intervention to escort him out.

Following this incident, he confronted Cook’s executive assistant in a parking lot, once again prompting police involvement, according to court documents. The assistant, Jared Agtunon, subsequently sought a temporary restraining order against Basin that same afternoon.

Agtunon reported that Basin had sent him a series of unusual and explicit texts, as well as phone messages. In one instance, Agtunon recounted, “I didn’t answer Basin’s phone calls, but he left a message telling me I was trash, saying I should think about my family, and insisting that I call him again.” In a follow-up email, Basin wished Agtunon luck in prison but later remarked, “You’re crazy.”

A judge approved Agtunon’s request for a temporary restraining order within two hours of its submission.

Earlier on May 2, Basin had been arrested for disorderly conduct, though details surrounding that incident remain sparse. As of now, Basin has not responded to requests for comments regarding these events.