Posted at 11:34 a.m., Tuesday, January 29, 2002

Prosecutor: Arakawa had 10-11 beers before crash

By Dan Nakaso and David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writers

The trial began today in the case of former police officer Clyde Arakawa, accused in the car accident death of 19-year-old Dana Ambrose. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Former Honolulu Police officer Clyde Arakawa drank 10 to 11 beers and one shot of hard liquor in seven hours, just before he had a "violent collision" that killed a 19-year-old driver, Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle said today in opening statements at Arakawa's trial.

In a darkened courtroom at Circuit Court, Carlisle used a PowerPoint presentation that showed a picture of Arakawa next to the phrase, "Arakawa At The Scene." The graphic highlighted key points of the prosecution's case: Police officers at the scene of the crash at Pali Highway and School Street reported that Arakawa "smelled of alcohol." His "eyes were bloodshot and glassy." And Arakawa refused a field sobriety test and was later arrested.

Just before the crash between Arakawa's white Ford Thunderbird and Dana Ambrose's blue Honda Civic in October 2000, Carlisle said witnesses saw a white blur that sped through a red light. He also showed jurors a photo of the crash site.

Arakawa walked away from the wreckage, Carlisle said. Ambrose had to be pried out by rescue crews, he said.

Her injuries included a bruised and bleeding brain, three broken ribs, a crushed right foot that included a compound fracture, bleeding spleen, two breaks to the spinal column and the most serious — a severed spinal cord, Carlisle said.

"It meant that she never had a chance to live," Carlisle said.

Arakawa's lawyer, Michael Ostendorp, was scheduled to give his opening statement later today in Circuit Judge Karen Ahn's courtroom.