Fleeing with Batalona, 27, were Warren Elicker, 25, and David Scribner, 20. Scribner tried to escape last May from the O'ahu Community Correctional Center. Police said the three carjacked a Honda Civic at Stadium Mall at 3:37 a.m. The car was recovered shortly before 8 a.m. at Hau'ula Kai Shopping Center.

Police said a knife may have been used in the carjacking, but would give no other details.

Also today, three boys escaped from the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility at 10:15 a.m. HYCF administrator Mel Ando said the youths escaped from a technical-education program at Olomana School. The boys are not serious juvenile offenders.

The Halawa escape occurred sometime between 1:30 and 3:30 a.m. Department of Public Safety officials this morning were trying to sort out the details.

"It was a surreptitious escape that occurred under the cover of darkness," said Jim Propotnick, interim Public Safety director. "We're still trying to figure out the how, what, when."

The prison has been in lockdown since the escape, said Propotnick. Administrators are conducting an internal investigation.

All three men have violent criminal backgrounds.

Batalona fired a fully automatic assault rifle at a police officer during the American Savings Bank takeover robbery in Kahala. The officer was not injured.

Batalona was the subject of an islandwide manhunt and was arrested eight days after the robbery. Three others involved in the robbery have been charged with federal offenses. Jacob Hayme, 26, and Sean Matsunaga, 22, were sentenced a week ago to serve 19 years and seven months, and 22 years and six months, in federal prison for the armed robbery. A fourth man, Roger Dailey, will be sentenced in July.

Elicker was convicted for a April 2001 home-invasion robbery in Punalu'u. He has six prior robbery convictions and 13 total felony convictions.