Convicted Felon Shoots Pepper Balls at Nightclubs, Found with Firearm, US

A 42-year-old man has been detained in Honolulu following an alleged pepper ball gun attack outside two nightclubs on Kapiolani Boulevard. Chris Hong Tran, a convicted felon, is accused of shooting at people with pepper balls, causing irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, and point of impact. Tran was apprehended by a witness until the arrival of the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) officers, who took him into custody on suspicion of terroristic threatening. A government motion to detain Tran was granted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter, and a continuance was approved to allow prosecutors to pursue an indictment. Tran has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. During the incident, witnesses reported seeing Tran shooting what appeared to be a firearm, but it did not sound like one. Tran then allegedly reached into the back of a vehicle for a second firearm, which was prevented from being used by a woman inside the car. When HPD officers arrived, they found a pepper ball gun on the center console and a Sig Sauer SP 2022 pistol on the driver’s side floorboard. Tran was arrested with a pistol magazine containing nine live rounds of ammunition. In an interview with detectives, Tran claimed not to remember the events leading up to his arrest but admitted to possessing a firearm. Tran’s previous conviction for a methamphetamine offense in 2011 prohibits him from owning a firearm. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Eucker, while Tran’s attorney, Lars Isaacson, has not commented on the matter.