Castle Medical Center employees Edward Borges Jr. (left), Laurie Yagi and Solomon Kamauu Jr., accept congratulations for civilian honors they received from police for helping to keep an armed man from entering the hospital in February. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

All the same, the Kailua resident's modesty didn't stop police from recognizing heroism today, heroism displayed by Kamauu and a Campbell High School student in separate cases of civilian assists to law enforcement.

The student, Royce Dela Cerna, wasn’t able to attend the ceremony at police headquarters to receive his Civilian Medal of Valor for disarming an attacker in an Oct. 22 knife assault at a Kapolei bus stop. Dela Cerna witnessed a stabbing and then distracted the armed suspect by trying to kick the knife out of his hand, and later challenged the attacker to put down his knife.

Police officers and other civilians received other honors at the gathering. Among them: Sgt. Ardi Maioho was named Employee of the Quarter for organizing an event last fall uniting the communities served by the Kahuku substation where she works.

"It's just like graduation," he said, as officers and loved ones trooped by and deposited lei on his broad shoulders.

Police arrived after the 9:40 a.m. incident to find the 39-year-old suspect, Ervan M. Kaneshiro, restrained by Kamauu and other Castle Medical Center employees.

Kaneshiro, who had a loaded rifle, is being held without bail at O'ahu Community Correctional Center, where he awaits trial on firearms offenses.

A pivotal moment came when Kamauu saw Kaneshiro from about 50 feet away holding a rifle as he waited at the basement elevator. The door opened, and 19-year-old Laurie Yagi, a food service worker, emerged with a cart of trays.

Kamauu yelled at her to hold the elevator, which she did, her heart pounding furiously. Kamauu tried to keep his cool.

"My first instinct was to be calm," he said. "My next instinct was to take away his space," Kamauu said. "So I cornered him in the elevator and asked where he was going."

"To take care of business," Kaneshiro allegedly said. Kamauu didn't like the sound of that.

There was no struggle, Kamauu said. He took Kaneshiro's gun, handed it to Yagi and radioed his partner Edward Borges Jr. for help. Yagi brought the gun to a room where it was locked; Borges helped restrain Kaneshiro until police arrived.

Yagi and Borges were honored, respectively, with a certificate of merit and a letter of appreciation.

Yagi had just begun training for a new job washing dishes; her old cashier's job had kept her safely behind the register, she said. She admitted feeling frightened.

"It was a very testing first day," she said.

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Oh, no, I think she was in the right place," said her mother, Lindy. "Because she did the right thing."

Honors also were presented in connection with three 2001 police cases:

• Nicholas Akau and Roy Reyes received certificates of merit for a Feb. 20 incident in which they saw a woman being dragged into a van parked at Kapolei Shopping Center. As the van reversed, they opened the van door and pulled the screaming victim to safety.

• Police officers Russell Pereira, Dayle Morita and Kendrick Noda, who on Sept. 12 stopped a man from jumping from the sixth-floor ledge of a downtown parking structure, received certificates of merit.

• Kalani Pinao, who chased down a suspect fleeing police at Tenn’s Enchanted Lake Union service station, received a certificate of merit in connection with the Sept. 14 case; Todd Tenn, who flagged down police, and Stacy Ogawa and Kapiolani Williams, who helped restrain the suspect, received letters of appreciation.

Reach Vicki Viotti at 525-8053, or at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com.