Ihilani gunman taken into custody

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

A standoff with a man who chased down two women and shot them at Ihilani Resort Friday ended yesterday morning when the man gave himself up, police said.

The 23-year-old man, who was arrested at 5 a.m. in a parking lot at the resort, faces charges of first-degree attempted murder, reckless endangerment and criminal property damage. Formal charges are expected today.

One of the injured women — the man's former girlfriend — was shot in the wrist and taken to The Queen's Medical center where she was listed in good condition.

The other woman — a friend of the former girlfriend — received a minor wound and was treated at the scene.

Police said the man and the women are from the Nanakuli area, which is where the chase began.

The two women told police they pulled into a gas station on Farrington Highway Friday evening, and saw the former boyfriend there, pumping gas. The man got into the back of the women's car and tried to talk to the former girlfriend. When she refused to listen to him, he pulled a gun from his backpack and pointed it at himself.

The women got out of the car and fled into the gas station, where they remained until the man got into his own car and drove away. The women waited until he had been gone for a while, then got into their car and left the gas station, driving east on Farrington Highway.

As they passed the Kahe Power Plant, the man drove up and rear-ended them with his car, police said. He then fired at them.

The women drove on to the Ihilani Resort, where they stopped at the gate for help. The man drove up behind them and fired more rounds at them, this time hitting both women.

The women drove toward the hotel. As they approached the lobby, the man drove up, got out of his car and fired several shots into the air.

At that point Honolulu police officers arrived, and the man fled into a nearby parking lot, where he held police at bay for several hours.

Meanwhile, Charisse Kolish and her fiance, Bruce Hall, were returning from their wedding rehearsal dinner to their room at the Ihilani late Friday evening and learned of the standoff as they approached the guard shack. They weren't allowed in.

"I was trying not to conjure up bad images of what was going to happen," the bride said.

It wasn't easy. The Colorado couple were to be married at the resort the next morning. Her bridesmaids, several of whom were flying in from the Mainland, were to begin arriving at 4 a.m. Photo sessions were scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Charisse wasn't sure whether the standoff would end in time for her guests to arrive for the 10 a.m. ceremony.

She said she crawled into the back seat of the car and tried to get some sleep. Her fiance walked around a bit, learning more about the situation.

Eventually, she said, police learned of their plight and at about 2 a.m., escorted them into the hotel through a back route. The standoff dragged on.

Bridesmaids arrived and were held up at the gate.

Then, at 5 a.m., the man gave himself up to police and the wedding party was allowed in.

Charisse Hall said the photo session ran a little late, but the wedding went off as planned.

"It'll be a story to tell our grandchildren," she said.