Police Beat
Advertiser Staff
Kaimuki bank branch robbed
First Hawaiian Bank's Kaimuki branch at 3599 Wai'alae Ave. was robbed today of an undisclosed amount of cash by a suspect described by police as about 6 feet tall with a muscular build. O'ahu's ninth bank robbery of the year was reported at 9:02 a.m.
8 arrested in credit fraud
Honolulu police have arrested eight people in connection with an investigation into fraudulent credit-card transactions.
The most recent arrest was a 30-year-old Waipahu woman. She was arrested at HPD's Alapai station at 12:30 p.m. Monday on two counts each of first-degree theft and attempted first-degree theft, first-degree computer fraud, fraudulent use of a credit card, money laundering, criminal conspiracy and ownership of an illegal business.
She was released without charges, pending further investigation for possible indictment at a later date.
The criminal activity involves about a dozen debit-card transactions exceeding $20,000 from February to April 2002, police said.
Man charged in barricade case
Police yesterday charged 51-year-old Dennis Nishimura with kidnapping, first-degree burglary and two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening in connection with Monday's barricade incident at a Kina'u Street apartment in Makiki.
Police said Nishimura entered a woman's apartment through an unlocked back door carrying a large hunting knife. He allegedly threatened to kill the woman and her 82-year-old mother during the nearly three hours he was in the apartment. Police eventually got him to surrender after he had freed the women.
Gunman sought in 6 robberies
Honolulu police are seeking information on a gunman who has robbed six small businesses since Jan. 22.
Police said the gunman is in his late teens or early 20s with a slim build, between 5 feet 5 and 5 feet 9 inches tall and 140 to 160 pounds. The man usually enters the store and pretends to be shopping for merchandise before pulling out a handgun and demanding money, police said.
The robberies have occurred at Nabarrete Store at 1141 Waipahu St., Benton's Chevron at 1305 Middle St., Mel-Chien Store at 618 Kalihi St., Nani Mini Market at 428 Kalihi St., Rainbow Country Liquors at 3398 Wai'alae Ave., and Moanalua Chevron at 986 Valkenburgh St.
Anyone with information is asked to call robbery Lt. Ray Quon at 529-3006 or CrimeStoppers, 955-8300, or *Crime on a cellular phone.
Breaks contain Pahala blaze
Big Island firefighters today reported that a 2-day-old Pahala brush fire that has burned more than 2,000 acres of grassland has been contained by fire breaks.
East Hawai'i Assistant Fire Chief Lloyd Narimatsu said that although the fire appears to be fully contained, it could spread again.
The fire was started by lightning strikes, Narimatsu said.
