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A North Shore surfer who cultivated his image as an enforcer and parlayed it into movie and television roles was found not guilty Tuesday of assaulting a visitor at Velzyland beach three years ago.
Kala Alexander, 42, who appeared in "Blue Crush," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "Hawaii Five-0" and other movies and television shows was facing up to 10 years in prison for first-degree assault for injuries he inflicted on a California man Feb. 18, 2008.
After a week-long trial, a state jury deliberated just three hours Tuesday before finding Alexander not guilty.
His lawyer William Jameson said he believes the jury just didn’t find the alleged victim credible.
"If Alexander King was telling the truth, Kala would have been convicted," Jameson said.
King, 47, suffered a concussion and partial loss of vision in his right eye in what prosecutor Scott Bell said was an "unprovoked beating, a one-sided pummeling" at the hands of Alexander.
King filed a civil lawsuit against Alexander for assault and battery last year on the two-year anniversary of their confrontation.
Alexander did not testify in the criminal trial in his own defense.
Jameson told the jury Alexander struck King in self-defense.
Alexander’s friend Makua Rothman testified King rushed Alexander.
The events that resulted in King’s injuries started earlier in the day when King said he confronted Alexander about riding his motorcycle recklessly on the beach and nearly running over a girl. The girl is the daughter of a couple with whom King was staying in a house near the beach.
The two men parted ways with King telling Alexander where he was staying.
Later, Alexander and Rothman showed up at the home. That’s where Alexander struck King.
Alexander and Rothman live nearby.
Rothman’s father, Eddie Rothman, who also lives nearby, said he saw the near-miss incident involving the girl on the beach. He said he sent Alexander to his neighbor’s home to apologize to the parents of the girl.
Bell said all the eyewitnesses who testified in the trial, except for King, live in and around Velzyland beach. And he said the jurors may not have liked King after listening to his testimony.
"That is an inference that could be drawn. And that’s within their providence," he said.
Alexander has in the past played up his role as the leader of the Wolf Pack surf tribe and enforcer of North Shore beach etiquette.
After yesterday’s verdict he said, "I don’t’ want to talk about that kind of stuff anymore. I just want to enjoy my children and my true family."
