Tulsi Gabbard’s Brother Charged After Waikiki Hotel Pool Incident Involving Children

This article was originally published on Crafting Your Home. A human contributor also wrote and edited the post.

A disturbing encounter at a Waikiki hotel pool has led to the arrest of Batarti Gabbard, the 55-year-old brother of former Hawaii congresswoman and former national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard.

Honolulu police say he approached several children and offered them money and chewing gum if they accompanied him to a hotel room. He has been charged with second-degree custodial interference, though the accusation has not been proven in court.

Children Refused and an Adult Alerted Police

According to the Honolulu Police Department, the man also asked the children to provide their names and wrote the information in a notebook. Police opened an investigation after receiving a report about what they described as a stranger danger incident. Local reporting said a concerned adult contacted authorities after learning what had happened.

Investigators announced on July 17 that they had positively identified the suspect as Batarti Gabbard. Officers arrested him and charged him with custodial interference in the second degree. The police release did not describe any physical contact and stated that none of the children followed him into the room.

The Charge Does Not Establish Guilt

The language surrounding the case has spread quickly across social media, where some posts have described Gabbard as jailed for trying to lure children. The confirmed facts are narrower: Honolulu police say he was arrested and charged, while local news reported that he was later admitted to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Public reporting reviewed for this article does not clearly establish whether he remained in jail after the arrest.

Gabbard has not been convicted of the custodial interference charge. The prosecution would still need to prove the required elements of the offense, including intent or knowledge, through the court process. His mental condition and ability to participate in legal proceedings could also become relevant, although no court has publicly ruled on those questions.

Family Describes a Mental Health Episode

Hawaii News Now reported that Gabbard is also known as Bhakti and that his father, Hawaii state Sen. Mike Gabbard, described him as experiencing a serious mental health episode. The senator said his son had been using drugs and was admitted to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation on Friday afternoon. Those statements came from the family and have not been independently confirmed through publicly released medical records.

A mental health crisis does not erase the seriousness of allegations involving children. It may, however, influence decisions about treatment, detention, competency, and the way the case proceeds through the court. Those decisions belong to medical professionals, prosecutors, and judges rather than social media users.

An Unrelated Theft Case Adds Another Legal Issue

Separate reporting says Gabbard had also been arrested in connection with an unrelated theft allegation shortly before the Waikiki charge. A Honolulu Police Department arrest log lists Batarti Das Gabbard in a fourth-degree theft case connected to Kalakaua Avenue. The accusation of theft is separate from the hotel pool investigation and should not be treated as proof of the newer charge.

Tulsi Gabbard Has Not Been Accused of Involvement

Batarti Gabbard’s relationship with Tulsi Gabbard has drawn national interest to what would otherwise be a local Honolulu crime report. Tulsi Gabbard previously represented Hawaii in Congress and later served as director of national intelligence. Hawaii News Now identified Batarti as her brother, but neither the police statement nor the local report accused her of participating in the alleged incident.

That distinction is essential because relatives do not share legal responsibility simply by virtue of belonging to the same family. The investigation concerns Batarti Gabbard’s alleged conduct at the Waikiki hotel pool. Attempts to turn the arrest into proof of wrongdoing by his sister would not be supported by the released evidence.

A Frightening Encounter That Ended Without a Child Leaving

The case also shows why police encourage families to teach children not to accept gifts, money, or invitations from unfamiliar adults. Even when a person appears friendly or offers something small, a child should move toward a trusted adult and report the interaction. In this case, the children’s refusal became a critical part of the police account.