Hawaiʻi Island Police arrest five after large affray in downtown Hilo

Hawai‘i Island police have arrested two adults and three juveniles after a report of a large affray in downtown Hilo on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 4, 2023.

At 4:21 p.m. on Wednesday, Central Dispatch received multiple calls reporting a large affray in the area of the 100 block of Kino‘ole Street in which it was reported people were yelling, throwing rocks, and brandishing weapons, including a knife and possibly a rifle.

When police responded to the scene they discovered more than 20 people in the parking lot of a residential building.

As some officers conducted crowd control, other officers began investigating the scene and observed a 13-year-old male holding a knife. In the course of investigation, police determined that the 13-year-old had been yelling at others in a threatening manner causing alarm. The teen was subsequently arrested for disorderly conduct.

As they continued their investigation, police further determined that a 35-year-old Hilo man was involved in an affray with two juvenile males, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old, who punched, kicked, and threw a rock at the 35-year-old man, causing minor injuries to the victim. The two teen males were arrested for assault.

During the incident, 22-year-old Jason Isope, of Hilo, allegedly picked up a large rock in the presence of officers and approached a group of bystanders in a threatening manner, police said. He was subsequently arrested and charged for disorderly conduct.

While interviewing witnesses, officers learned an adult male had been seen brandishing and pointing what appeared to be a rifle at people and was then seen retreating into the residential building.

After conducting a search of the area for the armed man, officers located 27-year-old Jimbo Encher, of Hilo, who was identified by police as the male with the rifle. They also recovered two rifle-shaped pellet guns. Encher was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening.

The three male teens who were arrested as a result of this incident were released to their parents pending further investigation.