On Monday, May 16, at approximately 6 p.m., a customer entered the Y-7 Grocery and Liquor located at 1323 Gulick Avenue in Kalihi, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, and found the 76-year-old female co-owner bleeding on the ground.
The victim was transported to the hospital with serious head injuries.
Surveillance video revealed that three males entered the store. One of the males used a submission hold on the elderly woman, while the other male went behind the counter and removed money from the register. The third coward acted as the lookout.
MMA and BJJ pioneer Egan Inoue told Honolulu’s Khon2 News that it’s clear the attackers had a plan.
It really bothers me because it’s a technique that is a martial arts technique, which is a really powerful technique,” said Inoue. “And to see it used in a really bad way like that is just, it’s a really bad thing.”
Inoue explained that even a trained martial artists can be put to sleep trying to get out of what he called a well-executed rear naked choke.
There’s not much you can do,” said Inoue. “But all I can say is any time you’re put into a choke and you don’t know what’s going on, you should do whatever it takes to survive and your idea should be to survive.”
He says if possible, you should turn your back toward what he calls the open side of the choke, and if you can, scratch any exposed skin, because with DNA evidence, there could be a better chance in identifying the attacker.
If you’re intentionally trying to look for the eye with your thumb and maybe scratching and digging, you may hit some nerve that might make the guy let go, he said.
The Khon2 team also contacted a retail expert who recommended having high-quality security cameras installed, as was the case here, and said businesses should have at least two people working whenever possible.
Honolulu police have called for the public’s help.
We need the public’s help on this one, said Sgt. Kim Buffett of CrimeStoppers. “Watching the video was really hard and and I felt for the victim and I’m sure when the public sees this, they’re also going to feel for the victim and want to help.”
Anyone with information about the incidents should call CrimeStoppers at 808.955.8300, or *CRIME on your cellular phone. The public may now send anonymous text and web tips. Text CS808 plus your message to 274637 or CRIMES.
