Police Beat
Advertiser Staff
Hiker rescued on Mount Olomana
In a rare night rescue, Honolulu Fire Department specialists yesterday brought out a hiker stranded on a narrow ledge about 130 feet from the peak of Mount Olomana.
The Waimanalo man, in his mid-30s, was exhausted but did not appear to be injured, officials said.
Rescue specialist Corey Lau was one of three firefighters who hiked for nearly an hour to reach the man after being dropped by helicopter into the brush at 1:40 a.m. The chopper lifted the man to safety at 4:15 a.m., Lau said.
Fire Dispatch was notified at 11:54 Wednesday night about the stranded hiker, who had called 911 by cellular phone. The man told firefighters he began his hike to Mount Olomana from Keolu Hills at 1 p.m. and had reached the peak but ran into trouble on the way down.
The man said he was in a precarious position on the ledge, which led to the decision to do the night rescue.
Helicopter saves East Maui swimmer
KAUPO, Maui — The Maui Department of Fire Control helicopter plucked a 31-year-old Wailuku man from rough waters off Kaupo yesterday.
The man was camping with friends near Huialoha Church on the rugged East Maui coast when he decided to go swimming off the rocky shoreline, according to Assistant Fire Chief Gordon Cordeiro. Friends reported at 8:10 a.m. that he was in trouble, and he was rescued about 15 minutes later.
Cordeiro said the man was close to drowning when the helicopter picked him up about 300 yards from shore. He was treated at the scene.
Moped rider critically injured
A 20-year-old man was taken to The Queen's Medical Center with critical head injuries Wednesday after crashing his moped into a parked van on Nanakuli Avenue near Lepeka Avenue.
The accident occurred at 5:43 a.m.
Police said the man was not wearing a helmet.
Car-bus crash victim identified
The Honolulu medical examiner's office yesterday identified the woman killed Sunday in a traffic collision in Kane'ohe as Betty C. Patberg. An autopsy showed Patberg, 67, died of internal injuries suffered in a collision between her Volkswagen Golf and a city bus about a quarter-mile from He'eia Kea Pier. Police said a medical condition may have caused her to collide with the bus.
Suspect arrested in Kalihi bank robbery
A gun and an undisclosed amount of cash were found in a car involved in a Kalihi bank robbery Wednesday, said police Capt. Alan Arita of the Criminal Investigation Division.
Police arrested 40-year-old Benjamin A. Sugui Jr. in connection with the robbery of Hawai'i National Bank's Dillingham Plaza branch. He was charged by federal authorities with bank robbery.
Officers arrested Sugui and his father, 62, after stopping their car on Likelike Highway at 10:38 a.m. Wednesday. Sugui's father, who was driving, was released Wednesday night pending investigation.
Firefighters douse mattress fire
Fire officials believe someone dragged a mattress to the 15th-floor stairwell of the Victoria Mansion yesterday in Makiki and ignited the mattress.
Eight fire companies responded to the 2:53 p.m. alarm at 1456 Thurston St. Battalion Chief Clinton Wong said when they arrived, firefighters saw flames and smoke billowing from the 15th floor.
Firefighters at first believed a condominium unit may have been on fire, but Wong said they quickly realized the fire was in the stairwell. The fire was extinguished at 3:27 p.m.
Wong said there was no major property damage and no injuries were reported.
