The Coast Guard is investigating a peculiar distress call today from a tugboat crew that initially claimed several people on board were unconscious, then changed their story when help arrived.

The call for help came at 3:57 a.m. from a crew member of a former navy tugboat who said three of the four people on board were unconscious, said Petty Officer Jennifer Johnson. A Coast Guard C-130 aircraft was sent from Barbers Point to the tug, which was 40 miles north of Ka'ena Point. When it arrived the master of the 162-foot tug told the Coast Guard that no one was in trouble but the tug was experiencing engine trouble, she said.

The Coast Guard Cutter Washington then escorted the tug to Barbers Point for repairs and further investigation.

Man arrested in car theft, assault

A 41-year-old man was arrested at a Republican Street bar in Kalihi last night after his estranged girlfriend told police the man stole her car twice and beat her two times over the weekend.

The woman, 46, claimed the man assaulted her and took her car without her permission Friday night. She said she found the car unattended in Kalihi on Saturday and took it home.

The woman told police the boyfriend forced his way into her Ahonui Street home on Sunday, assaulted her again and took the car a second time without her permission.

The woman spotted the former boyfriend in a bar at about 9:30 last night and called police, who arrested the man on suspicion of car theft and abuse of a household member.

Woman slapped in car collision

A traffic collision that escalated into a physical confrontation resulted in the arrest of a 52-year-old man yesterday morning near the intersection of Makaloa Street and Kalakaua Avenue.

A woman, 33, told police her car collided with another at about 7:50 a.m. and that the other driver got out of his car, reached through her open car window and slapped her twice on the left cheek.

Charges of unlawful entry into a motor vehicle are pending against the man, police said.

Chinatown stop leads to arrest

A man who was pulled over on a routine traffic stop at about 9:30 a.m. yesterday in Chinatown for not wearing his seatbelt wound up being arrested for suspicion of car theft and driving without a license.

A patrol officer reported seeing the man, 25, driving a white, four-dour Cadillac, without his seatbelt fastened.

After pulling the man over, a check of the license plates showed the car had been reported stolen and the driver was arrested.