Hawaii: Mayoral candidate ‘stunned’

A barefoot, bong-making, wannabe Hawaiian mayor who resisted arrest has been shocked by police in a public street.

A recently surfaced video of the astonishing confrontation, which took place late last week, shows Maui police chasing surfer and Maui County mayoral candidate Beau Hawkes, 34, after he twists out of their grip and begins running down the street.

Wearing only shorts and no shoes, Hawkes calls repeatedly out to the officer chasing him pleading, “come on, cop. You can’t do this, dude”.

The cop soon tires of the chase and fires a stun gun dart directly into the aspiring politician’s back, sending him crashing to the ground rigid as a board.

He is soon restrained by a group of officers who handcuff him even as he protests that he is “not resisting” and “not even touching you, bro”.

The sun-bleached surfer and aspiring politician makes bamboo water bongs for a living.

He is one of five candidates running in the August primary for mayor after misfiled public disclosure statements and allegations of violating criminal release conditions saw other aspirants quit the race.

A native of Idaho, born to a Mormon family, Hawkes is a self-described “sovereign individual” which means he doesn’t believe in paying taxes, wearing shoes, carrying a driver’s license, or putting plates on his cars – among other things.

His arrest came after he was stopped while driving along the Haleakala Highway in a car which did not display any license plates – as Hawkes believes their requirement was put into Hawaiian law illegally.

“I happened to be pulled over while talking to my ex-wife about where I will be picking my children up,” Hawkes said.

He said the officer indicated that the traffic stop was because he was driving a vehicle that did not have a license plate, and he was observed talking on his cell phone.

“I explained to the officer that I actually don’t need a license plate – that I’m a private individual here. I also told him that I had a right to use my cell phone if I liked. That anti-cell phone law was enacted without the consent of we the people,” said Hawkes.

According to Hawkes, the officer asked him to turn off his vehicle, but Hawkes said he told the officer, “I’m late for a meeting, I have to go” – at which point he drove off.

Hawkes said he ended up attending the meeting for about an hour and was walking across the street toward his vehicle where a police officer told him to freeze and put up his hands.

When the officer allegedly tried to “grab and twist” his hands in an attempt to place handcuffs on him, Hawkes ran off only to be pursued and eventually Tasered.

He has been charged with resisting arrest and failing to obey an officer.

Despite the charges, Hawkes plans on sticking with his mayoral campaign, which is funded by his business making bamboo pipes known as “Bootubes”.

He is now vowing to outlaw the use of stun guns by police if he wins the election.