A 69-year-old man was severely beaten and landed in the hospital with “severe right facial swelling, a broken nose, a hemorrhage and a ‘serious concussion,’” according to a recent report (“Suspect involved in multiple cases,” Star-Advertiser, Sept. 14) . This happened in the Ross Dress for Less store bathroom in Waikiki.

The blood on the floor can be indirectly traced back to a 2020 law enacted by the Legislature, which was designed to speed up mental assessments of people accused of minor crimes. Curiously, three days before the Ross attack, the suspect was released on a harassment strike-shove case. The harassment case was considered a nonviolent petty misdemeanor.

It was the third time in 18 months that the suspect was found unfit under the new, speedy assessment system. His right t

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