A US doctor was taken into custody after he allegedly struck his wife in the head with a rock and tried to push her off a hiking route after she refused to take a picture with him, Hawaiian authorities said.
Gerhardt Konig, a 46-year-old Maui anaesthesiologist, has been charged with the attempted murder of his wife, Arielle Konig. The couple was on vacation in Oahu when Mr Konig allegedly pushed his 36-year-old wife down a hiking trail near the Pali Lookout.
According to reports, the Nuuanu Pali Lookout provides sweeping views of the Koolau cliffs and Windward Coast from its location more than a thousand feet above the Oahu coastline.
Law enforcement sources told Hawaii News Now that Mr Konig snapped because his wife refused to take a photo with him.
The doctor repeatedly hit his wife, struck her with a rock, and attempted to stab her with two syringes, though it did not specify if they carried drugs, The NY Post reported.
Mr Konig was taken into custody by Honolulu police following a brief foot pursuit near Pali Highway on Monday night. Police posted a billboard featuring his picture earlier in the day, stating he was sought for attempting to kill someone at Pali Lookout.
Following the alleged attack early Monday, the Honolulu Police Department reported that Arielle Konig was taken to a hospital in critical condition with several facial and head injuries.
Mr Konig has been a physician with the Anaesthesia Medical Group, CBS affiliate KGMB reported. He has already been suspended until an inquiry is conducted. He worked under an independent contract and supplied medical services to Maui facilities.
"Maui Health is committed to patient safety and upholding the highest standards of care," Maui Health stated.
The physician previously served as an Assistant Professor of anesthesiology and bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh and an anaesthesiologist at UPMC. According to the company, Mr Konig has not worked for UPMC for more than two years.
