3 suspects may face charges

By Brandon Masuoka
and Yasmin Anwar
Advertiser Staff Writers

Two of the three people arrested after Tuesday's shootout on the H-2 Freeway face possible unrelated auto theft charges today, police said.

The shootout left one man dead and two police officers wounded.

Bernadette La'a, 28, also known as Bernadette O'ili, and Jesse Ani, 28, both of Wai'anae, remained under arrest on suspicion of auto theft, according to officers. Samuel Hao, 29, also of Wai'anae, was to appear in District Court today on unrelated warrants, police said.

La'a and Ani are suspects in separate auto thefts that happened earlier this month. Their cases were to be turned over to prosecutors today.

Police say La'a was involved in a scheme to steal cars from a Sand Island pier April 3-16 and also allege Ani drove several stolen cars on the H-2 Freeway and Farrington Highway in Wai'anae April 1-17.

Police said the shootout investigation was continuing.

Levi Esperas, 27, La'a's husband, died from a chest wound after police fired at least 10 shots in Tuesday's incident, which happened after a traffic stop.

Officers Robert Steiner and Aaron Bernal, both 32, were wounded by shotgun blasts fired by Esperas, police said.

Esperas and the three others were in a white van that police said was speeding and weaving on the H-1 in Waipahu Tuesday afternoon, drawing the attention of two officers on motorcycles and a third in an unmarked car.

The van stopped at the top of the cutoff to Kamehameha Highway, but started up again when one of the motorcycle officers approached, knocking him down, police said.

The van then sped north and, later, on H-2 between Waipi'o Gentry and Mililani, got stuck on a concrete median while trying to make a U-turn.

Bernal suffered a graze wound on the face, and Steiner was shot in the hand. Bernal was treated at the Queen's Medical Center on Wednesday and released, and Steiner was in fair condition today at Queen's.

Esperas died at Kapi'olani Medical Center at Pali Momi .