Police Beat

Advertiser Staff

60-year-old man found dead at Ala Moana Park

Police said they suspect no foul play in the death of a 60-year-old man whose body was found at Ala Moana Park yesterday.

A groundskeeper told police he passed the kokohead area of the park near the pond about 3 p.m. and saw someone on the ground.

About 5:15 p.m., a group of passing teenagers notified the groundskeeper that it appeared the man was dead. Police were called.

The case has is being treated as an unattended death.

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death and confirm the man's identity.

Waikiki man arrested in bank robberies

Police yesterday arrested a 38-year-old Waikiki man in connection with three bank robberies in Wahiawa, Kalihi and Ala Moana earlier this month.

The man was arrested at his Kuhio Avenue apartment at 5:30 p.m. on suspicion of three counts of first-degree robbery.

Police said the man is suspected in robberies at the American Savings Bank at 649 California Ave. on Friday; the American Savings Bank at 1851 N. King St. on April 15; and the Bank of Hawai'i at 210 Ward Ave. on April 8.

Kaua'i girl Kaylee Ruiz-Taira is thought to be in Honolulu. Kaua'i Police Department

Police are looking for a 15-year-old Kaua'i girl they believe may have flown to Honolulu to meet someone she met on the Internet.

Kaylee Ruiz-Taira is of Japanese ancestry, with long black hair and brown eyes. She is about 5-foot-3 and 170 pounds.

She left home on the evening of March 22.

Anyone with information should call the Kaua'i Police Department at (808) 241-6739, or the Missing Child Center-Hawai'i at 753-9797 or 586-1449.

Convict charged in Kailua assault

A man on parole for a 1994 Makiki burglary involving a fatality faces a second-degree attempted murder charge in an assault Saturday in Kailua.

A preliminary hearing is set for tomorrow for Harry Kauhi, 48, who is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Kauhi pleaded guilty to the 1994 burglary at the home of Ellen Lum, 74. His brother, Samson Kauhi, was convicted of murdering Lum.

In the Kailua assault, police said Harry Kauhi went to a home on Keolu Drive at about 10 p.m., knocked on the door and hid. When the 22-year-old victim emerged, Kauhi allegedly pointed a shotgun at him and forced his way into the home, where he allegedly assaulted the victim twice with the barrel of the gun, forced him into the back yard and demanded money and car keys.

Police said he then forced the victim toward a second house on the property and pointed a shotgun at the victim's father and a woman who emerged.

According to a court document, the victim grabbed the gun, but Kauhi held on and allegedly pulled the trigger. The gun did not fire, according to the documents.

The victim and his father seized Kauhi, detectives said, and police were called.

Suspect charged in pizza holdups

Federal agents investigating a series of robberies targeting pizza delivery workers have charged Brandon Doan, 18, in connection with the robberies.

Police detectives said three other suspects have been identified, and FBI agent John Gillis said the investigation is continuing.

Police arrested Doan Friday on a federal warrant and turned the case over to the FBI, said Lt. Raymond Quon, who heads the police robbery detail. The federal government can prosecute because the robberies interfere with interstate commerce, Quon said.

The robberies took place March 24 and 27 and April 10 and 14 at various Honolulu locations. The pizza delivery personnel were held up at knifepoint.

Woman hospitalized after car crash

A 46-year-old woman remained in guarded condition at The Queen's Medical Center yesterday after an accident Sunday at Kaukonahua and Kamananui roads.

A 2002 Dodge Intrepid heading south on Kaukonahua Road entered the intersection at 1:23 p.m. and hit a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta, in which the woman was a passenger, on Kamananui. The Jetta had stopped at the stop sign before entering the intersection, police said.

The Jetta driver, 21, and her other passenger, a 1-year-old, were treated at Queen's and released.

The 38-year-old driver of the Intrepid and her passenger, a 76-year-old woman, were treated at Wahiawa General Hospital and released.

Officials identify accident victims

City medical examiners have identified a pedestrian killed in an accident Sunday.

Santiago Sagucio, 77, of Honolulu, died of after he was struck at 3:19 p.m. while crossing South King Street near Bishop Street.

A 1979 Dodge pickup truck heading east on King hit him as he was crossing against the light, outside the crosswalk, police said.

The same day, Russell Montalbo, 49, of Waipahu was killed after his 1993 Chevrolet pickup veered off the Pali and hit a tree at about 4 a.m., police said.

Wahiawa bank robber sought

Police are seeking tips on who robbed the Wahiawa branch of American Savings Bank on Friday.

A man allegedly entered the bank at 11:50 a.m. and passed a note saying he was armed, though no weapon was seen. Police said the man left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.

He is described as 20 to 30 years old, between 5 feet 10 and 6 feet 2, with a husky build; short, curly, red-tinged hair and wearing a green long-sleeved shirt and dark pants.

Anonymous tips can be made to CrimeStoppers at 955-8300, or *CRIME on a cellular phone.

Woman arrested in hotel robbery

Police have arrested a 21-year-old 'Ewa Beach woman and are seeking two men in connection with the armed robbery of a Japanese tourist in his Waikiki hotel room just after midnight yesterday.

The robbery was reported at 12:02 a.m. at the Honolulu Prince Hotel, 415 Nahua Ave. Detectives said the tourist, 38, heard a knock and opened the door to find someone he had met earlier .

Police said the woman and two men forced their way into the room. One man allegedly held a gun to the man's head and tied him with duct tape. The three fled with the victim's belongings.

The victim called hotel security, who found the woman and held her for police; the men escaped, police said.