Police said the woman was sitting outside an office at the Prince Kuhio Plaza a little before 8:30 last night when a man approached and asked her what time it was. He grabbed her purse before she could answer.

The woman held on to her purse and was dragged about 100 feet on the parking lot pavement until the straps broke and the thief ran away. She declined medical treatment.

The woman described the robber as 5-feet-9, with a medium build, pony trail and a mustache.

Anyone with information is asked to call Jeffrey Flores of the South Hilo Patrol Division at 961-2213, Andrew Burian of the Hilo Criminal Investigation Section at 961-2379 or the police non-emergency number at 935-3311.

Calls can also be made to CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.

Pedestrian hit in Maui named

A pedestrian who was struck and killed by a car yesterday morning in Kihei has been identified as Michael Madison of Maui.

Madison, 52, who police said had no local address, suffered massive head injuries when he was hit by a car on South Kihei Road just before 5 a.m.

Police said he was crossing mauka-bound near a crosswalk when he was hit.

He was pronounced dead at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

Driver killed in head-on crash

A 45-year-old Kona man died and another from Ka'u was seriously injured in a head-on collision yesterday afternoon on the Hawai'i Belt Road (Route 11) near the 87-mile marker in South Kona.

James Kaupu of Honomalino was killed. The injured man was identified as Dan Yamamoto, 42, of Naalehu.

Police said the collision happened just before 3:38 p.m. when Yamamoto, driving a 1990 Honda, overtook two vehicles and hit a 1994 Plymouth sedan driven by Kaupu.

The drivers were taken to the Kona Community Hospital. Yamamoto, who was transported by helicopter, was later flown to Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu.

Kaupu was pronounced dead at 7 p.m.

The two cars passed right before the crash left the scene before police arrived.