Anthony Macaranas
“I DON’T tolerate police misconduct,” Department of Public Safety Commissioner Anthony I. Macaranas said at a press conference Thursday morning, referring to the recent arrest of Police Officer Troy Anthony Taman Manahane, who was accused of using his service firearm to assault a person on Jan. 21, 2024.
Manahane, 26, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and disturbing the peace.
“DPS continues to be more proactive regarding this issue, because the community is really watching us with everything [including] the way police are performing with their responsibility. … [This] will gather some attention from the community and will gather some concerns that will come to my office,” Macaranas said.
‘Sad truth’
Macaranas said the recent arrest of Manahane “is a sad truth in our police department, but DPS officers are held to a higher standard … to assure [that the members of the] public are well protected … by officers that took the oath to serve and protect the community.”
Manahane’s actions “are not acceptable,” he added.
Macaranas assured the community that DPS will continue to “mitigate the issue, and that the public should not be intimidated to come forward” and report police misconduct.
“If there is any misconduct you are to come forward and report those things to my office or Crime Stoppers,” he added.
He also acknowledged the delay in the investigation before Manahane’s case was brought to the Office of the Attorney General for prosecution.
He declined to provide additional information regarding the delay but added that DPS does not allow cover-ups.
“Fortunately, we ironed it out and we took the case to the AG and the AG looked at it and made the decision that they will pursue the case,” Macaranas added.
Manahane was immediately placed on desk duty after the complaint of misconduct was filed against him. “But now with criminal charges filed, he most likely will be placed on leave pending [the] outcome of his case,” DPS said.
Background
According to the complaint against Manahane, he and another police officer, Keanu Hosono, responded to a domestic incident in Susupe on Jan. 21, 2024.
The suspect, Sheldon Kaainoa, said he had a verbal dispute with his girlfriend, and did not want their argument to escalate so he chose to leave their apartment until his girlfriend calmed down.
He said he was standing outside the apartment when he saw a police car pulling up in the parking lot. Kaainoa said he ran to the second floor to evade the officers and jumped out of a window.
Later, Kaainoa was apprehended by Hosono and was instructed to sit down. Manahane then approached Kaainoa and told him to discard the pen he was holding and get in the back seat of a marked police car.
Kaainoa said he was in the back passenger seat when he saw Manahane unbuckling his police belt and brandishing a gun.
Kaainoa said Manahane pointed the gun at him and asked, “What would you do if my partner shot you?”
Kaainoa said he asked Manahane three times to put the gun away.
Kaainoa said he expected to be arrested for domestic violence, but was instead dropped off at his apartment.
When interviewed by an Internal Affairs investigator, Manahane denied threatening Kaainoa with his gun but admitted that he unbuckled his police belt and dropped Kaainoa at his apartment.
For his part, Hosono said he saw Manahane aiming a gun at Kaainoa. Hosono said he didn’t mention it earlier because it was his “first time to see a seasoned officer point a gun at a civilian, and it freaked him out.”
Hosono said he feared being labeled a snitch and ridiculed by other officers.
Hosono said Manahane, while on administrative duty, implied he had close connections with Internal Affairs investigators, including Commissioner Macaranas.
“This suggestion prevented Hosono from fully disclosing the details at the beginning of the investigation,” the complaint stated.
