"It's a significant arrest," Captain Alan Arita of HPD's Criminal Investigation Division said. "Our intelligence reports related that he was one of the most active ringleaders in taking vehicles. But he's involved in a lot of other things besides auto thefts."

White, also known as Warren Machado and Elsworth Paikai, was taken into custody around noon by Crime Reduction Unit officers from the Kalihi and Waikiki patrol districts acting on an anonymous tip. He is being held on three outstanding court warrants while police pursue charges for at least three separate auto thefts in which he has been identified as a suspect.

A 28-year-old woman, arrested on suspicion of auto theft at the same Waikiki location yesterday, has been released pending further investigation.