A police officer from Honolulu, Hawaii is facing criminal charges for assaulting a truck driver.
According to KHON, 26-year-old Jonard Escalante stated that he was driving his big rig when he accidentally ran into off-duty officer Keoki Duarte’s personal car.
Escalante explained that he hit the officer’s car while changing lanes, then immediately pulled over. Officer Duarte also pulled over, then got out of his car and started swearing and shouting at the truck driver. It escalated, and Duarte began punching Escalante’s passenger door.
The officer then opened Escalante’s driver’s side door, pulled him out, threw him to the ground and began beating him. The officer ignored the trucker’s pleas for him to stop and started to choke him.
Escalante said,
“He punched me, and he kicked me he dropped me on the ground. He choked me really tight, and I couldn’t breathe. I almost passed out.”
The truck driver explained that the though he would have lost his life if it weren’t for witnesses who called 911.
One witness stated,
“He was hitting him multiple times on the hood of the truck and then he threw him off of the truck, jumped down himself and was pushing him and punching him some more.”
Because of the violent act, Escalante suffered injuries to his neck and jaw.
Officer Duarte will be in court next week, and will face charges of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, and third-degree assault.
Duarte’s has remained employed as an officer, but in a limited role.