Police Beat
Advertiser Staff
Cleanup sweep set for Ala Moana Park
Police and personnel from the Department of Parks & Recreation will close down Ala Moana Park tonight starting at 8 to conduct a cleanup sweep. Central Honolulu District Capt. Edward Nishi said people illegally camped in the park have been warned of the pending sweep for two weeks.
"There are about 100 people entrenched in the park in tents and tons of trash," Nishi said. "We've spoken with them numerous times about tonight's sweep. We've received hundreds of complaints about the sanitary condition of the park."
Police will either issue citations and make arrests to clear the area so Parks & Recreation personnel can move in to clean the park.
"Our objective is to clean the park and get all the (accumulated) trash out of there," Nishi said.
After tonight's operation, the park will be closed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights every six weeks to ensure regular cleaning can occur, Nishi said.
Rental scam suspect flees
A surveillance operation set up by Honolulu police investigating a rental scam in Hawai'i Kai missed catching a suspect on Tuesday.
The suspect, a Caucasian man in his 30s who uses the name "Jeff Lansford," fled as neighbors alerted to the scam involving a vacant house on Kaumakani Street attempted to capture the man at 2:10 p.m. before police were able to move in. The suspect drove off in a vehicle that was found abandoned nearby.
The vehicle was stolen, police said.
Police said the suspect, posing as a real estate broker, has been showing the house to prospective renters for over a week. At least two families paid the up front cash money requested by the suspect as payment for first-month's rent.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *Crime on a cellular telephone.
Kalihi man charged in robbery of bank
A 37-year-old Kalihi man was charged today in a federal complaint with yesterday's robbery at the Bank of Hawaii's branch at 1950 N. King St.
Roddy Tanaka is being held on a $500 outstanding traffic warrant and will be turned over sometime today to federal prosecutors, said Capt. Alan Arita, acting commander of the Honolulu Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division.
Tanaka was arrested based on information from a witness, who provided police with a license-plate number of the suspect vehicle shortly after the bank was robbed at 2:30 p.m.
Moped driver in critical condition
A 31-year-old man injured Monday night when his moped struck a van on Kilauea Avenue was listed in critical condition today at The Queen's Medical Center. The collision occurred at 10:20 p.m. as a 1973 Volkswagen van was turning left onto Makapu'u Avenue.
