Car chase nearly spans O'ahu
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Two men led police on a two-hour chase yesterday that began in 'Aiea, involved one officer firing five shots at the fleeing car, and nearly circled the island before ending in Waipahu.
Along the way, one officer suffered minor injuries when he was struck by the stolen car, which damaged four other vehicles in the Mapunapuna area and on H-1 Freeway. One of the suspects allegedly commandeered a truck on the North Shore.
No one was seriously injured, police said.
They arrested Brandon Molina, 23, and Frederick Morales, 25, on suspicion of auto theft. Deputy Chief Paul Putzulu said the men face other charges, including attempted murder, failure to render aid at the scene of an accident and carjacking.
The pursuit covered miles of roads, often narrow two-lane thoroughfares. Putzulu said he was relieved there were no serious injuries along the way.
"This is the longest thing that I know of in my career involving a vehicle like that," Putzulu said. "We actually had three different pursuits for short periods of time. We're happy that no other people were injured. It could have been a lot worse."
He said police clocked the stolen Honda going about 75 mph during the early stages of the chase on Moanalua Freeway.
The police investigation will continue. Putzulu said it appears police acted appropriately.
"If you engage in a pursuit, you have to be cognizant of a lot of different factors — the traffic, the time of day, weather conditions, vehicle speeds. In this case, the pursuit was terminated three times," Putzulu said.
"From my knowledge of what happened, I'd say, yes, they took these considerations. They stopped the pursuit at different times when they thought it was unsafe."
The trouble began at 10:54 a.m. when a police officer saw two men sitting in a silver Honda Civic at Hokea and Pohue streets in 'Aiea. Putzulu said the men were "trying to hide in the car, trying to duck out of (the officer's) view."
When the officer doubled back to check on the car — which turned out to be stolen — it took off, Putzulu said.
The chase was on.
The Honda traveled on Kamehameha Highway to Moanalua Freeway and continued to Red Hill, where it took the Tripler off-ramp. The vehicle entered the Mapunapuna area, where it was involved in two collisions, Putzulu said.
The Honda, which continued to elude officers on the ground, was being tracked by the police helicopter. It headed east on Nimitz and through Ala Moana.
Putzulu said the car made a U-turn on Hobron Lane, headed mauka on Atkinson Drive and turned right on Kapi'iolani Boulevard. Officers tried to stop the car at the intersection with Kalakaua Avenue, but could not.
At one point, Putzulu said, the car was moving against traffic on Citron Street to McCully. It maneuvered through traffic and got onto University Avenue, where it made another U-turn and entered H-1 Freeway westbound.
The Honda ran into one or more cars on H-1 Freeway near the King Street off-ramp.
Putzulu said the car took the Vineyard off-ramp, got onto Pali Highway, went through the tunnels and headed north on Kamehameha Highway, where Kane'ohe police picked up the chase.
As the car approached Punalu'u on Kamehameha Highway, a police officer on road construction special duty near Puhuli Street heard the commotion as the stolen car approached.
"He did not have his portable radio, but he heard the helicopter, he saw the helicopter, and he thought he might have heard a siren and thought maybe an ambulance was coming," Putzulu said.
"He stopped traffic and was talking to the vehicle closest to him when he saw the stolen vehicle coming at a high speed. The vehicle came and clipped the vehicle and it came by and clipped the officer."
The officer, who was not seriously injured, fired five rounds at the fleeing car, hitting it three times, Putzulu said. That failed to slow the driver as he continued toward the North Shore.
Near the the Hale'iwa Bypass road, the car stopped and the two men inside got out and confronted a man in a black pickup truck. One of the men pounded the truck with a pipe.
The passenger in the Honda, identified by police as Molina, got into the truck and drove off, leaving Morales behind. Police arrested him there at 12:21 p.m. as other officers continued the pursuit.
Molina drove through Wahiawa in the pickup truck, went south on the H-2 Freeway south and took the Waipahu off-ramp. He lost control of the truck on Waipahu Street and struck a guardrail near Mokuola Street.
He was chased down by police and an employee at the Salvation Army Thrift Store and arrested at 12:40 p.m., nearly two hours after the chase began.
Putzulu said Molina has three misdemeanor convictions for driving without a license and theft, and Morales has no criminal convictions.
An investigation is under way as to what other charges may be filed, he said, as well as whether officers acted properly during the chase.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
