Posted on: Thursday, August 19, 2004
Pauoa man held in attempt to run over officer
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
A 20-year-old Pauoa man remained in police custody last night, accused of attempting to run over a police officer with a stolen car Tuesday on the North Shore.
The man faces first-degree attempted murder and other charges. Police have until this afternoon to charge the man or release him.
The incident began at about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday when a police officer saw a stolen car near the Turtle Bay resort.
Police said there was more than one person in the car, and the officer believed they were involved in several car break-ins.
The officer attempted to stop the car, but the driver veered toward him. Police said the officer, fearing for his life, fired several shots at the car.
The car was found abandoned in the Malaekahana area a short while later. Police found the suspect near the shoreline and arrested him at about 3:05 p.m.
There were no other arrests in connection with the case as of yesterday. No one was injured in the incident.
Records show that the man in custody has 11 arrests for a variety of misdemeanor and felony offenses, including drug charges, driving without a license, car theft and vehicle break-ins.
Lt. Michael Tanaka of internal affairs said the officer who fired the shots is a 15-year HPD veteran. A police spokeswoman said yesterday that there were no plans to remove him from duty.
An internal affairs investigation will center on whether the officer acted within departmental policy in the use of deadly force, as well as other aspects of the shooting, such as whether the officer was involved in a high-speed chase and if so, whether the chase endangered others.
When the investigation is completed, the findings will be sent to the department's administrative review board, which consists of assistant police chiefs and the deputy chief.
The board will decide if the officer followed departmental policy and if not, whether to discipline the officer.
Staff writer David Waite contributed to this report. Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
