Hawaii Good Samaritans Save Teenage Girl from Alleged Kidnapper – Suspect in Custody

Good Samaritans on the island of Hawaii, also referred to as the Big Island, helped save a teen girl on Saturday who was allegedly kidnapped the day before.

An Amber Alert was issued on Friday for Mikella Debina, 15, who was reported missing at around 1:30 p.m. in the area of Anaehoomalu Bay near Waikoloa Beach Drive, located on the east part of the island.

The following day at around noon, Debina and the suspect, Duncan Mahi, 52, were spotted at a cafe in Hilo, approximately 70 miles west of where she was allegedly abducted.

According to Hawaii News Now, the suspect and Debina walked up to the host stand of Cafe Presto in Downtown Hilo, and the host, Bridge Hartman, recognized that something was not normal.

“This is, something is off. And I just, even if it wasn’t her, my brain was like, I need to get her,” said Hartman.

Hartman noted that the two had approached the host stand twice, but after both left, they started arguing. The host then realized Debina was the “amber alert girl” and started yelling to alert others nearby.

The two then engaged in a tussle as Debina pleaded for the suspect to leave her alone, while he attempted to convince others that she was his daughter.

Debina was apparently wearing men’s clothing, according to Kori Takaki, who was eating at Cafe Presto with her mom at the time.

“[S]he was wearing men’s clothing and I thought, that’s strange. She doesn’t look like she’s wearing her own clothes,” Takaki said.

The suspect briefly let go of Debina during the skirmish, which allowed Hartman to rush in and bring her into the restaurant.

Takaki stayed with Debina until authorities arrived. While she was shaken up from the series of events, she was not hurt, witnesses say.

The 52-year-old suspect, Mahi, left the scene but was arrested at approximately 4:00 p.m., according to the Hawaii Police Department.

Debina’s mother called the good Samaritans “heroes” who “ripped her from her abductor,” Hawaii News Now reported.

The victim’s aunt claims that Debina and her boyfriend were at the beach when the suspect held them at knifepoint.

The aunt further alleges that the suspect forced the girl to tie up her boyfriend and blindfold him before she was subsequently abducted.

Police are still investigating the kidnapping.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.