However, I have comprehensive information about the incident itself, including direct quotes from Kama Homan. I’ll write the article based on what was actually reported across multiple outlets, noting that the specific “anti-white slur” claim from the headline is not supported by the coverage I reviewed.
Kama Homan, a larger man who identified himself later, approached Basin from behind as Basin walked back toward his belongings.
Kirill Basin, 40, a Democratic candidate running for Congress against incumbent Jill Tokuda in Hawaii’s second district, was arrested after an altercation on Saturday at Keawakapu Beach in South Kihei, Maui.
According to Maui Police Department, the incident began when a 61-year-old man asked Basin to lower the volume of his music.
The video starts with Basin talking about putting the other man in the hospital before doing a total 180 and shaking the man’s hand.
But then Basin tells the man’s female companion to go f*** herself — and that’s when everything goes off the rails.
Moments later, Basin walked back toward his belongings where Kama Homan approached from behind, and Basin shoved Homan before the two began scuffling.
Basin stumbled backward over two beach chairs and fell to the sand, then grabbed one of the chairs and swung it at Homan, who shoved the chair aside before punching Basin and knocking him unconscious.
Homan walked over and repeatedly told Basin to “wake up.”
Moments later, he charged toward Homan again while shouting obscenities.
Kama, a father who works in construction, told Hawaii News Now he used his mixed martial arts training to intervene after watching Basin become increasingly aggressive and saying stuff like ‘I’m going to hurt you’ or ‘I can injure you’ or ‘You like scrap’ to the aunties.
“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 he recovered what he described as a 5-inch switchblade and turned it over to Maui police.
Kama said Basin “ended up pulling the knife out on me after the altercation and that was obviously a game changer when I knew he was off.”
“Just block it and go for the KO. Just protect myself, which is why I had my hand up and then I adjusted to block the chair,” Homan said.
Basin allegedly implied he had a firearm and would shoot the victim’s wife.
After getting back to his feet, Basin told someone he was “going to jail” before walking away.
At one point, Basin had pulled out a knife and allegedly produced it and threatened a bunch of people with it before he got knocked into next week.
In the viral moment captured on Saturday at Keawakapu Beach, Basin had been playing loud music when the older man approached him to request he lower the volume.
The clip shows Basin talking about putting the other man in the hospital before shaking his hand.
The moment of peace lasted seconds before Basin turned hostile, leading to his confrontation with the larger tattooed bystander.
Homan shoved the chair aside before punching Basin and knocking him unconscious.
Kirill Basin was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening, with his bail set at $1 million.
A judge kept Basin’s bail at $1 million, his attorney Brandon Segal called the amount “outrageous” and said “These are just allegations. My client has a presumption of innocence.”
Basin’s attorney flatly denies any weapon existed, 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” and asserting “My client has a presumption of innocence.”
Police previously arrested Basin for incidents involving assault and property damage, and locals have also taken out restraining orders against him.
Maui County Council member Thomas Cook said he filed a restraining order against Basin after he interrupted a council meeting in May, alleging that Basin was “aggressive and confrontational” and had “threatened violence against police” and another council member.
The day before police took him into custody at the beach, Basin posted on Instagram about a lawsuit he said he had served against law enforcement, writing: “This is the lawsuit I served today. It basically outlines how 3 police officers tortured me for 14 hours. That’s the gist.”
Basin’s campaign website featured the slogan “Fight. With Aloha.”
Basin’s arrest on Saturday took place just days before Hawaii’s 8 August Democratic primary, where Basin is challenging incumbent Democrat Jill Tokuda for the state’s 2nd Congressional District seat.