Police last night recovered the smoker stolen Oct. 13 from behind a Kaimuki restaurant.

Detective Kenny Toriki said the smoker was found parked on 16th Avenue in a turnaround area near a park. Police went to the scene after receiving an anonymous tip at 10:30 p.m., he said.

The Southern Yankee Pit Smoker, valued at more than $7,000, was stolen from a parking lot behind Top of the Hill restaurant on Wai'alae Avenue. It is owned by Phillip Cater, a chef at the restaurant.

Standoff ends with man's arrest

A two-hour standoff was resolved without injury early today when police rushed into a McCully apartment and arrested a 44-year-old man who they said earlier had threatened four officers with a samurai sword.

Police rushed the man at 5:34 a.m. after he opened the door to a ground-floor unit of a two-story apartment building at 1753 Nanea St. to allow two women and a boy to leave, said Detective Rheynol Kosaka.

The incident began at 3:30 a.m. when a patrol officer, responding to a noise complaint, was confronted by the man in the driveway entrance to the apartment building. The man, who reportedly was arguing with a neighbor, threatened the officer with a samurai sword, Kosaka said.

Three other officers at the scene were threatened by the armed man, Kosaka said.

One of the officers fired a bean-bag round from a shotgun at the man as he went back into the apartment. The bag struck the man on the leg.

Police charge five in auto thefts

Police have charged five men in separate auto theft cases since Friday.

Charged are Ryan You, 27; Gilbert Galapia, 37; Solomon Moses, 31; Clifton Higa, 50, and Scott Becker, 38.

HPD's Criminal Investigation Division Capt. Alan Arita said car thefts this year on O'ahu have increased 47.6 percent since last year. From January to September 2001, there were 4,140 reported auto thefts. The number has risen to 6,111 for the same period this year.

Prosecutors and police are charging more repeat offenders. Moses, for example, has 82 prior arrests and nine felony convictions.

Police career criminal unit investigators are also looking deeper into auto theft cases to connect stolen cars with other crimes, such as robberies and burglaries, said Arita.

Fire destroys Olomana home

An early morning fire gutted a single-story, three-bedroom home at 1314 Ulupuni St. in Olomana today. The Hawai'i chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the four women, two teenaged girls and man who lived in the house.

One of the girls, 19, was treated for a burn on her right hand at Castle Medical Center and released, Fire Department spokesman Capt. Kenison Tejada said. No other injuries were reported.

The fire was reported at 1:30 a.m. and seven companies had it under control at 2:02 a.m., Tejada said. Damage is estimated at $240,000 to the home and $30,000 to contents.

Fisherman dies after argument

A 42-year-old long-line fisherman died early today after a confrontation with the captain of a fishing boat at Kewalo Basin.

The man reportedly was intoxicated when he and the captain began arguing at 12:50 a.m., police said. The man reportedly fell on the deck and was taken to The Queen's Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.