Wrongful death lawsuit filed in woman’s brutal killing just steps from police station

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The estate of a woman who was brutally beaten to death at a bus stop just outside the Kapolei Police station has filed a wrongful death suit against the city.

The suit alleges that police released suspect Michael Armstrong even though he had a violent history.

The lawsuit also claims police did nothing to protect the victim when she was attacked.

“They knew that this man Michael Armstrong was a psychiatric time bomb. He’d already engaged in an assault and they were going to charge him with felonies,” said Eric Seitz, the attorney for victim Linda Johnson’s estate.

“There were several people who saw and heard (the attack). A couple of people tried to alert the police inside, they did not react to do anything.”

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The day before he allegedly attacked Johnson, Armstrong was arrested at a Mililani halfway house for attacking a police officer. Armstrong has past arrests for theft and burglary, but was acquitted by reason of insanity.

In 2006, he was convicted on weapons charges and served 90 days in prison.

Seitz said Johnson and Armstrong didn’t know each other and that the attack was random.

He said Johnson was arrested in Waikiki for park violations and was released around the same time as Armstrong.

She was taken to the Kapolei Police station because of ongoing construction at the main cellblock at the HPD’s downtown headquarters, and Seitz said she had no means to return and nowhere to stay in Kapolei.

“They transported her way out in Kapolei and just dumped her out on the street,” said Seitz.

The HPD said an internal investigation is still ongoing and that the department is committed to working with the community to help people with mental health concerns.

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