Police Beat
Advertiser Staff
Purse-snatching suspect caught
A man chased down by bystanders after attempting to steal a woman's purse Monday night was arrested by police.
The robbery in the 1900 block of Ala Moana was reported at 9:55 p.m. Police said the 41-year-old man, of no permanent local address, grabbed a 21-year-old woman's purse. The strap of the purse, however, got caught on the woman's bracelet, causing her to fall as the man attempted to flee.
Witnesses chased him down and held him for police.
Man accused of assault on wife
Police yesterday arrested a 40-year-old Manoa man suspected of breaking his wife's jaw during an argument.
Police responded to a 12:15 a.m. call of a domestic argument at a Kumukoa Street home. The man's 33-year-old wife was taken to Straub Hospital. He was arrested for assault.
Man hit on H-1 said improving
A 58-year-old man who was critically injured when struck by a car Thursday on the H-1 Freeway near Waikele was upgraded yesterday to guarded condition at The Queen's Medical Center.
However, a 78-year-old man injured March 10 when his car collided with a city bus on North School Street remains in critical condition at Queen's.
Teen arrested twice within week
Police say a 17-year-old boy arrested Friday on suspicion of robbing another youth was arrested again Monday for threatening the complainant, 15, with harm if he testified against him.
The older boy was arrested on suspicion of intimidating a witness and terroristic threatening.
Papayas cause airport ruckus
An unchecked delivery of papayas prompted the evacuation of all terminals at Honolulu International Airport on Monday.
A United Airlines employee was delivering the papayas to a passenger, but passed through a checkpoint before federal security officials were able to screen her, officials said.
The security breach triggered an immediate evacuation of the airport at about 12:15 p.m.
Airport officials said it was not long before the airline employee and the papayas were screened and all terminals were reopened.
"We needed to screen her," said Sidney Hayakawa, the airport's federal security director.
When travelers buy pineapples or papayas from vendors in the terminal, they either check the produce in with their baggage or take it with them as carry-on luggage.
Hayakawa said he wasn't sure why the airline employee was delivering the fruit.
Plea entered in marijuana case
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A man arrested at a forest campsite in Koke'e two weeks ago pleaded not guilty yesterday to a single felony count of commercial promotion of marijuana.
Deputy Kaua'i prosecuting attorney Craig DeCosta said a range of hunting, illegal camping and uncontrolled dog charges were dropped.
The marijuana count, the most serious charge against Glen Gruenhagen, 46, involves several plots of marijuana found growing near his campsite, each of which contained several hundred plants. Gruenhagen remains in jail on bail of $10,900. Trial is set to begin April 28.
State conservation agents arrested Gruenhagen March 5 on Honopu Ridge.
| Lunch crunch in town |
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| No one was seriously injured in a lunch-hour traffic accident at the intersection of Beretania and Alakea streets in downtown Honolulu yesterday. Portions of both streets were closed until the vehicles were removed.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser |
