A Hawaiian congressional candidate has become famous across the country for all the wrong reasons.
Kirill Basin, 40, was captured having a heated altercation with beachgoers on the shores of Maui. When things escalated, a witness was seen knocking him out cold.
“Now his family gets to enjoy this video for generations,” one commented online after Basin’s arrest.
Highlights
- A Hawaii congressional candidate, Kirill Basin, sparked headlines across the country in recent days.
- He allegedly threatened a man’s wife and claimed he had a firearm.
- Viral footage captured a bystander knocking Basin to the ground.
- “Can’t even get along in paradise,” one commented online.
A Hawaii congressional candidate went viral after being knocked out cold in a beach brawl
Violence broke out at Keawakapu Beach in South Kihei on August 2.
Kirill Basin was filmed having a verbal tussle with a 61-year-old man, who reportedly asked him to turn down the volume of his music.
The Hawaii Democrat, who is running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, allegedly responded by saying he had a firearm and threatened to harm his wife.
Watching the altercation from far away was fellow beach visitor, Kama Homan, a father who works in construction and whose martial arts training came in handy that day.
“I’m like, maybe I should intervene, and then as I got closer and closer, he was just getting more irate and violent and then saying stuff,” Homan told Hawaii News Now. “‘I’m going to hurt you’ or ‘I can injure you’ or ‘You like scrap’ to the aunties.”
The altercation reportedly began over loud music on a Maui beach
Viral footage captured Homan approaching Basin and throwing a punch, knocking the hopeful politician to the ground.
“He put his hands on me, and as soon as he tried to shove me, I hit him with a left and a right, and that’s when he stumbled and fell over the chairs,” Homan said.
Basin was seen lying in the sand for a few moments, prompting Homan to check on him.
When cops arrived, Homan said Basin had a knife that he threw into the ocean.
Homan claimed he fished the 5-inch switchblade out of the sea and handed it over to cops, who put Basin in handcuffs.
Netizens believed he was served an instant dose of karma by the bystander. And that karma only seemed to mount with his subsequent arrest and criminal charges.
A bystander with martial arts training stepped in — and ended the fight in seconds
The Maui Police Department also confirmed that Basin allegedly pulled out the knife and threatened several people before flinging it into the water.
“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,” Homan told the outlet.
Basin was charged with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening.
His attorney, Brandon Segal, said the judge set an “outrageous” bail amount of $1 million during a court appearance on Tuesday.
The judge also ordered Basin not to have contact with Homan and four other people.
“These are just allegations. My client has a presumption of innocence,” Segal told the outlet.
The attorney also disputed the claims of Basin having a weapon with him.
“There’s no evidence in any of these videos that have been circulated tremendously that he ever had a knife in his possession,” he said. “He never had a firearm in his possession.”
Basin was charged with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening
This isn’t the first time Basin has had a run-in with the law. He has a history of arrests for assault and property damage to his name.
In May, he was arrested for brandishing a firearm at officials after storming a government building. He faced a charge of terrorist threatening in the first degree at the time and was asked by the court to undergo a mental health assessment.
Homan, who was nominated for Young Small Businessperson of the Year by the Maui Chamber of Commerce in 2024 for his local construction business, said he had no idea about Basin’s political background when he knocked him to the ground.
“No. I didn’t even know who the guy was,” said the father, who doesn’t regret intervening because he believes someone could have gotten hurt if he didn’t.
He revealed his motto in life is: “You do what’s right because that’s what we should do.”
“Can’t even get along in paradise,” one commented online
