The older brother of former National Intelligence Director (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has been accused of trying to lure children to a hotel room in Hawaii.
The suspect was identified as 55-year-old Batarti Gabbard whom police arrested and charged after the incident happened on the afternoon of July 12 in Waikiki, KITV reported Friday.
In a press release update, the Honolulu Police Department referred to the case as a “Stranger Danger Incident” and said the elder Gabbard was charged with custodial interference in the second degree.
“On July 12, 2026, Honolulu police opened an investigation after receiving a report of a stranger danger incident that occurred at a Waikīkī hotel pool area,” police stated.
The suspect was accused of approaching several children, including a nine-year-old boy, offering them gum and money to return with him to his hotel room.
“He also asked the children for their names and wrote them in a notebook. The children refused, and the man walked away,” law enforcement alleged.
Authorities said a woman alerted police to the alleged incident, per the KITV article.
The suspect is also the son of state Sen. Mike Gabbard, according to Hawaii News Now:
In a statement, the suspect’s parents said “Our oldest son Bhakti has had mental issues in the past but has been doing well for the last 10 years. Several days ago, he started acting erratically, as a result of smoking pot.
His wife kicked him out of the house, so he’s been sleeping on the streets. He gave away his car to a homeless person; lost his ID and phone and has no money. He’s renamed himself, Batarti, and also Jim Morrison Jr., as he’s having delusions of being a rock star.”
The family said a relative took him to a hospital for a psychological evaluation and he told the doctor his bloodwork would show he had drugs that included cocaine and pot in his system. His family added he was admitted to the hospital for a 72-hour hold so he could be monitored.
The suspect was arrested Thursday regarding an alleged theft incident and pleaded not guilty to those charges, per the New York Post.
“He is scheduled back in court for the theft charge on Aug. 14. No date has been set for the custodial interference case,” the outlet said.
Tulsi Gabbard resigned from her post as DNI serving with the Trump administration in June, citing her husband’s “extremely rare” form of cancer, according to Breitbart News.
