Posted at 9:15 a.m., Wednesday, May 23, 2001

Arakawa sues family of woman killed in crash

Associated Press

A retired Honolulu police officer charged with manslaughter in a deadly car crash has filed a counterclaim against the family of the woman killed in the crash.

Clyde Arakawa wants relatives of 19-year-old Dana Ambrose to be held responsible for damage done to his Ford Thunderbird during the collision that killed Ambrose on Oct. 7.

Arakawa, 48, is scheduled to go on trial in July on a manslaughter indictment that accuses him of being drunk when his car collided with Ambrose's at the Pali Highway and School Street intersection. Arakawa, who retired from the police force after the crash, denies prosecutors' claims that he ran a red light.

Arakawa's lawsuit is in response to one by the Ambrose family accusing him of being drunk during the collision and running a red light.

"I don't now what in the world is the basis for what he's done," said Richard Fried Jr., attorney for the Ambrose family. "The thing he isn't doing is taking responsibility."

Attorneys for Arakawa could not immediately be reached for comment.