A Puna man has been arrested and charged with a violent attack on his brother, which took place on Wednesday morning, February 12 as confirmed by the local authorities. Dante F. Modaffari, 44, is accused of assaulting his sibling with what the victim described as a "machete" during a disturbance that drew the attention and subsequent response from patrol officers in the Lehuanani Street area of Volcano, Hawai'i.
The 42-year-old victim was discovered by officers with significant bleeding and multiple lacerations on his arms and was quickly administered medical aid; he declared that his attacker was his brother, Modaffari, who had already fled on foot before the police's arrival, and the victim was later transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center for emergency surgery due to the life-threatening nature of his injuries. After a search ensued, Modaffari was located the following morning hiding within a structure on an unoccupied property close to the crime scene, and was taken into custody without incident, Honolulu police continued to search for additional evidence after his arrest, which led to the recovery of potential evidence during a search warrant executed at the scene.
Charges were brought against Modaffari two days later on February 14, which included first-degree assault and abuse of a family/household member, the Hawaii Police Department stated. His bail was subsequently set at $55,000, and he is currently in police custody with his initial court appearance scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, February 18, in Hilo District Court.
Authorities have made a public appeal for witnesses to the incident to come forward, asking anyone with information to reach out to Detective Richard Itliong of the Area I Juvenile Aid Section at (808) 961-2278 or via email at [email protected], tipsters desiring confidentiality may contact Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300—a community-driven program that assures anonymity and could offer a reward of up to $1,000 for crucial information leading to further developments in the case.
