GRAPHIC: Man seriously injured in attack on Halloween night: ‘Why would they do this?’

HONOLULU (KHNL/KGMB/Gray News) - A Hawaii man is recovering after a brutal assault on Halloween night in Waikiki.

KHNL/KGMB reports Nui Furtado was with friends and co-workers, celebrating a recent job promotion and taking in the sights and sounds of Halloween before the attack happened.

Nui Furtado said he and his friends were walking on Kalakaua Avenue near the Duke Kahanamoku statue before 11 p.m. when they passed another group of men.

“There was a group of guys walking past us, and Nui looked back at them,” said Nui Furtado’s friend Hannah Tyler. “And when I looked back, about five of them ran at us.”

Nui Furtado said he was pushed into bushes, punched, and hit with a weapon or object.

“I was trying to get back up, and someone was hitting me in the face with what I found out later was a shovel,” Nui Furtado said.

Tyler said Nui Furtado’s friends pleaded with the men to stop before the group ran away.

According to Nui Furtado, the attack left him with several broken bones on his face, along with other injuries. He said he called his father to the hospital after the incident.

“I saw his face, and I couldn’t believe that that was my son,” said Nui Furtado’s father, Kimo Furtado. “I gave him a hug and a kiss, and I said, “Son, I’m sorry this happened to you.’”

Nui Furtado spent a day and a half in the hospital before being released Wednesday. However, he faces at least two to three weeks of recovery.

Honolulu police said there were at least two felony assault cases in Waikiki on Halloween night, including the attack on Nui Furtado.

Police said they are still looking for the suspects involved but have made an arrest in the other assault case.

Nui Furtado said he believes he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time but also can’t understand why it happened.

“Why would they do this?” Nui Furtado said. “It doesn’t take much to be a nice person or have a fun time. You can still have fun without doing bad things.”

Nui Furtado’s family has started a GoFundMe page to help with his medical expenses.

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