(BIVN) – A Keaʻau man has been arrested and charged following a Hilo confrontation early Monday morning.

Shortly after 1 a.m. on May 12th, patrol officers responded to a disturbance at the 500 block of Wainaku Street “for a report of a man making threats while in possession of a handgun.”

40-year-old John Juan-Malak Taliauli later was placed under arrest following an hour-long negotiation with police in the drive-thru of a Kinoʻole Street restaurant.

From a police news release:

Responding officers contacted the 30-year-old male victim, who reported that an acquaintance of his, Taliauli, brandished a handgun from his waistband while threatening to kill him. The victim reported that Taliauli fled the area in a vehicle. Additional responding officers located the vehicle traveling on Kinoʻole Street, pulling into a restaurant drive-thru in the downtown Hilo area. Upon initial contact with Taliauli, he was informed he was under arrest, and disregarded officers verbal commands. Officers negotiated with Taliauli for nearly an hour until he complied and was placed under arrest without incident. The vehicle he was operating was seized as evidence pending issusance of a search warrant.

On Monday afternoon, May 12, officers with the Area I Crime Reduction Unit executed a search warrant on Taliauli’s vehicle, which resulted in the seizure of a loaded pistol, various types of illegal narcotics, and drug paraphernalia.

On Monday evening, Taliauli was charged with:

• First-degree terroristic threatening
• Driving without a valid license
• Place to keep: pistols or revolvers
• Place to keep: ammunition
• Carrying or possessing a loaded firearm on public highway
• Third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug (fentanyl)
• Second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug (methamphetamine)
• Prohibited acts related to drug paraphernalia

Police added that they “would like to thank to public and restaurant employees for their patience during this incident, and apologize for the inconvenience, as the drive-thru was closed for over an hour.” 

Police ask anyone who may have witnessed this incident to call Officer Manuel Soares of the Area I Crime Reduction Unit at (808) 961-8222, or via email at manuel.soares@hawaiicounty.gov.