Hawai'i Island police have taken two individuals into custody following a road rage incident that unfolded on Papaya Farms Road in Pāhoa on the evening of October 5, 2023.
According to Hawai'i Island Police, the incident occurred at approximately 7:00 p.m. and prompted a swift response from Puna patrol officers who received reports of a road rage altercation on Papaya Farms Road. During the incident, a 36-year-old male victim reported that he had been shot at. The victim stated that after the confrontation, a male suspect exited the driver's seat of a pick-up truck and discharged a firearm in his direction while he remained seated in his vehicle.
Law enforcement officials identified the individual responsible for firing the weapon as 36-year-old Adib Beyah, a resident of Pāhoa. Beyah was subsequently arrested on charges of first-degree terroristic threatening. As officers continued to secure the scene, they discovered 40-year-old John Elijah Lewis, from Pāpa‘ikou, hiding beneath the suspect's vehicle. Despite repeated instructions from law enforcement to emerge from his hiding place, Lewis did not immediately comply. As a result, he was arrested on charges of obstructing government operations.
While Puna patrol officers maintained a presence at the scene, detectives from Area I Criminal Investigation Section obtained and executed a search warrant. Currently, both Adib Beyah and John Elijah Lewis are in police custody, although they have not yet been formally charged in connection with the incident. Authorities are urging anyone with information about this road rage episode to come forward and assist in the ongoing investigation. Detective Scotty Aloy of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section can be reached at (808) 961-2381 or via email at Scotty.Aloy@hawaiicounty.gov. Alternatively, individuals can contact the police department's non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311.