One Hotel Pool, Alarming Police Allegations

Police say a man linked to a powerful Hawaii political family allegedly tried to lure kids at a Waikīkī hotel pool, and the case is now testing how our system protects children in busy tourist zones.

Story Snapshot

Honolulu police identified the suspect as 55-year-old Batarti Gabbard and charged him with second-degree custodial interference.
Police say he offered gum and money to several children at a Waikīkī hotel pool and asked for their names, writing them in a notebook.
The children refused to go with him, and no physical harm was reported, but prosecutors still filed charges after reviewing the case.
Gabbard is the brother of former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and son of a state senator, raising questions about public safety in tourist areas and equal treatment under the law.

What Police Say Happened At The Waikīkī Hotel Pool

Honolulu police say the incident started on Sunday, July 12, 2026, at about 2 p.m. at a hotel pool in Waikīkī. Officers report that an unknown man approached several children, including a nine-year-old boy, while they were in the pool area. Police say he offered the children gum and money if they would go with him to his hotel room. They also say he asked the children for their names and wrote them down in a notebook. According to the report, the children refused to go with him, and the man then walked away from the area without further contact. A 42-year-old woman later reported what she saw to police, which triggered the investigation and led officers to treat the situation as a “stranger danger” case.

Honolulu police opened a formal “stranger danger” investigation the same day based on this witness report and the children’s account. The department later explained that this type of case involves an adult who has no legal authority over a minor but tries to entice or lure the child away from a safe area. In this situation, police say the man used small offers of cash and gum to try to gain the children’s trust, a pattern seen in other resort incidents where adults target kids in crowded tourist spaces. No physical contact or injury was reported, but officers treat attempts to lure children as serious because they can be the first step toward more dangerous crimes. That is why the department moved quickly to identify the suspect and refer the case to prosecutors.

Identification Of The Suspect And The Charges Filed

After several days of investigation, Honolulu police say they were able to positively identify the suspect as 55-year-old Batarti Gabbard on July 17, 2026. Police then arrested him and booked him on a charge of custodial interference in the second degree, a Hawaii offense that covers situations where someone intentionally entices a minor without legal authority. Local news reports show that the Honolulu prosecutor’s office reviewed the case and decided to move forward with formal charges, which means they believed the police report and witness statements were strong enough to bring into court. At the time of charging, Gabbard remained in custody on the custodial interference count, while also facing a separate theft case from an arrest the day before. In that theft case, he pleaded not guilty during a court appearance and was given a future date to return, but there is not yet a court date set for the custodial interference charge.

Public discussion around the legal side of this case has focused on why prosecutors chose custodial interference instead of kidnapping or a sex offense. Legal analysts explain that Hawaii law makes “enticement” of a minor a crime even when the child is not physically taken away, and even when the attempt fails. The state statute targets adults who try to lure or hide minors without any legal right to do so. In other words, the law is supposed to step in early, at the first sign that someone is trying to separate a child from a parent or safe place. For many readers, especially parents and grandparents, this choice of charge may be a reminder that law can act before tragedy strikes, rather than only after the worst happens.

Political Family Ties, Public Safety, And Open Questions

News outlets quickly picked up the story when police confirmed that Batarti Gabbard is the brother of former Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and the son of a sitting state senator. That connection to a high-profile political family helped push the incident into national headlines, with some coverage focusing more on the family name than on the legal details of the charge. For conservatives who worry about double standards, one key question is whether a suspect with powerful kin is treated the same as anyone else when child safety is at stake. The record so far shows police publicly naming him, describing the allegation, and reporting the charge just as they would in other “stranger danger” cases.

At the same time, there are still gaps in what the public can see about the evidence. Police have not released hotel surveillance video from the pool area, and there is no public confirmation that the notebook police mention was collected and logged as evidence. The children’s full statements and any other witness accounts are also not part of the public record yet, as they are typically held for court and to protect minors. That means citizens must rely mainly on brief police summaries and media reports for now. For parents who travel with children to places like Waikīkī, the case is a reminder to stay alert in crowded resort areas, teach kids to say no and walk away from strangers, and expect local authorities to act quickly when someone crosses the line from friendly talk into attempts to lure a child.