LIHU‘E — District Judge Trudy Senda on Thursday afternoon found there is probable cause that mixed-martial-arts fighter Le Beau Lagmay threatened three Kaua‘i Police Department officers last month.
The three felony counts of first-degree terroristic threatening involve Lagmay’s alleged verbal harm or death threats made on officers who arrested Lagmay Nov. 20 for drunk driving, racing on the highway, terroristic threatening, resisting an order to stop his vehicle and consuming or possessing intoxicating liquor while operating a motor vehicle.
Kaua‘i Police Department officers Eric Caspillo, Paddy Ramson and Gilbert Asuncion all testified during Lagmay’s continued preliminary hearing Thursday at the Lihu‘e state courthouse that Lagmay, 26, threatened either to kill or harm them.
Senda set Lagmay’s next court date for Dec. 22 at 8 a.m. before Fifth Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano.
Caspillo said on the witness stand that he discharged his Taser and its 50,000 volts into Lagmay three times, the first time when Caspillo said Lagmay refused his order to put his hands behind his back, a second time when Lagmay was on the ground and still refused to put his hands behind his back, and a third time when Ramson and officer Marnie Fernandez had difficulty getting Lagmay’s arms out from under his body. Lagmay, of Kapa‘a, was chest-down at this time, Caspillo said.
Under questioning from John Murphy, county deputy prosecuting attorney, Caspillo said he saw Lagmay at the Lihu‘e 7-Eleven store, shirtless, stretching and appearing to be psyching himself up as if in preparation for a fight.
This was before Lagmay left the store, headed east on Kuhio Highway after burning rubber, was pursued by police, refused an order to stop, and eventually ended up in the parking lot of Wilcox Memorial Hospital, where the confrontation took place, Caspillo said during earlier testimony.
Caspillo earlier said Lagmay threatened to kill him and his family.
Ramson on the stand said Lagmay threatened to kill Ramson, that Ramson was terrorized and afraid that Lagmay would make good on his threat if he were released, and that Ramson would fear for his safety if Lagmay is released.
Asuncion, who arrived on the scene later, began using his personal digital video camera to film the scene when Lagmay was being treated in the Wilcox emergency room, and that Lagmay’s continued threatening remarks to him and his fellow officers prompted Asuncion to get the camera and film for around 30 minutes, interrupted briefly by Asuncion having to leave the hospital to park his police vehicle, he said.
Asuncion said he heard Lagmay threaten to kill Caspillo and his family, but did not hear Lagmay’s threats to Ramson.
The charge of highway racing was dismissed without prejudice, Senda saying the accusation was “defectively charged.”
Originally, Lagmay was charged with 18 crimes, including 11 counts of first-degree terroristic threatening, but the number of charges was reduced to six when the case was brought to Senda’s court earlier.
Lagmay remains confined at Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center.
• Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com.
