Maui police shoot, kill driver
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
PA'IA, Maui — A Maui police officer shot and killed a woman yesterday as she allegedly drove a stolen Cadillac toward him as he was on foot.
Timothy Hurley • The Honolulu Advertiser
Police Acting Lt. Jamie Becraft said the officer, whose name was not disclosed, was in danger, so he fired at the driver, hitting her in the head as she tried to maneuver her car around two police cars that had cornered her in front of a Bank of Hawaii branch on Baldwin Avenue near Hana Highway at about 4 p.m.
Maui police talk with witnesses of the shooting in Pa'ia, in which an officer shot to death a woman allegedly driving a stolen car.
Some witnesses, however, said they believe the officer was not in immediate danger.
"He shot her at point blank. She never had a chance. He never gave her the benefit of the doubt," said John Teves, who said he was in the bank cashing a check.
The woman died at the scene. Her identity and age were not available as police conducted their investigation last night behind yellow tape in the heart of the busy tourist village on Maui's north shore. She was the only person in the car.
Becraft said an all-points bulletin was issued for the 2004 white Cadillac stolen in Kahului at 3:44 p.m. The shooting occurred about six miles away in Pa'ia.
Becraft said a police car followed the stolen vehicle as it turned right from Hana Highway to Baldwin Avenue. The woman made a U-turn up the street after seeing another police car coming in the opposite direction, witnesses said.
The car swerved toward the bank and hit a palm tree. She then reversed the vehicle as the two police cars surrounded her. The Cadillac hit another vehicle, Becraft said, and an officer jumped from his car pointing his gun.
"She refused to stop and reversed toward the officer," Becraft said.
The officer fired through the passenger-side window. Whether the woman was armed with a weapon is unknown, Becraft said.
Police said they didn't know how many shots were fired. Witnesses said between two and four shots were heard.
No one else was seriously injured.
Investigators from Internal Affairs, Criminal Investigation and the Traffic divisions were on the scene. The officer was placed on paid administrative leave pending results of the investigation, Becraft said.
Makawao resident Sophia Kim was stuck in traffic as the police chase ended across the street from her car. She said she saw the woman try to reverse her car several times to elude the police cars.
"I was going to duck, but it happened so fast," Kim said. "She didn't deserve to die like that. If she had a weapon, she would have used it already."
David Jiminez heard the gunshots as he was painting a mural at Mana Food store and then listened as onlookers gasped.
"People were in shock," he said. "This is brand new for Pa'ia."
Jiminez said some people were saying the officer was forced to use his weapon when the vehicle was coming at him. Many others were flabbergasted by what they felt was the use of excessive force, he said.
"What happened out there today was unnecessary," said Ed Thielk, owner of Mana Foods. "Police have to have more integrity than that."
When Jill Danahay, an emergency room nurse from Omaha, Neb., heard the shots while walking on the sidewalk, she ducked into a shop. A few moments later, she asked police officers if she could check on the woman. She felt for a pulse and found none, she said.
"I see things like this all the time back home, but you don't expect it here," she said.
Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
