A police officer saw the man commit a traffic violation near Hale'iwa and checked with police dispatchers about the car's license plate number.

After learning the license plate did not match with the car, other officers were alerted and ordered the driver to pull over.

The driver refused to stop and tried to speed away but collided with a parked car. Police checked the vehicle identification number of the car the man was driving and confirmed it was on a list of stolen vehicles. The driver was arrested on suspicion of auto theft.

Defacing car serial number alleged

A 32-year-old man was arrested about 2:30 a.m. yesterday after police determined the car he was driving had been reported stolen in September 2003.

A patrol officer had stopped the motorist after seeing him run a stop sign. The officer checked on the car's license plate number and found it did not match up with the car. He then compared the car's vehicle identification number to those on a list of stolen vehicles and learned the car had been reported stolen by a 58-year-old man.

The man who was driving the car was then arrested for suspicion of operating a stolen vehicle, defacing the car's serial number and fraudulent use of a license plate.

Kalihi man accused of sexual assault

A 32-year-old Kalihi man was arrested yesterday as a suspect in the sexual assault of a 5-year-old boy.

Police said the boy's mother noticed her son was acting peculiar and asking what was wrong. The boy told her he had been assaulted by a relative and the mother notified police, who arrested the man.

The suspect was released without charges pending further investigation.

Pearl City scam uncovered

Two Pearl City women were arrested last night for allegedly taking part in a scheme to steal clothes from the Macy's store at Pearlridge Center.

Police said one of the women brought $957.46 worth of clothing about 8:30 p.m. to a register being operated by the other woman. The two women, both 18, are friends and roommates, police said.

The woman operating the register pretended to scan the items, put them in a bag and the friend walked out of the store with the clothing. Store security workers then moved in and detained the women.