Investigators at the city Medical Examiner's office are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who was fatally injured after being struck by a van while crossing Aupuni Street near North School Street yesterday morning.

Police said the driver of the 1990 Ford van, which struck the victim about 8:15 a.m., said he did not see the man due to the sun and the glare coming off the van's windshield.

The driver said he was turning left off North School Street onto Aupuni when he struck the man who was not in a crosswalk.

The pedestrian was taken to The Queen's Medical Center with head and internal injuries and was listed in serious condition upon arrival. His condition worsened throughout the day and he died about 3:30 p.m.

Investigators at the city Medical Examiner's office said this morning that contrary to initial reports, the victim appears to be Asian, not Caucasian. He appears to be 60 to 70 years old, was 5 foot 3 inches tall, weighed 173 pounds and appears to have had heart surgery due to a vertical scar on his sternum and a scar on one of his thighs.

He was rearing a red T-shirt, tennis shoes with white socks and a tan hat with a Hawaiian-print band when the incident occurred. He was also wearing a red and blue beaded necklace and gold-frame prescription glasses.

Anyone who may know the victim's identity is asked to call the city Department of the Medical Examiner at 527-6777.

Pedestrian killed in Kaimuki identified

A pedestrian who was killed Friday afternoon while trying to cross Kaimuki Avenue near the Sekiya restaurant has been identified by the city Medical Examiner's office as Matsue T. Hamada of a Wai'alae Avenue address.

Hamada, 79, was struck by a sports utility vehicle being driven by a 37-year-old man who traffic investigators believe was speeding when the collision occurred. Hamada was not in a crosswalk when hit, police said.

In addition, the Medical Examiner's office said a 19-year-old Kaimuki man died yesterday from injuries he received Dec. 26 in a razor scooter mishap.

Alexander Lee Tran, of an Ahe Street address, was injured while riding the scooter on 10th Avenue near Paalea Street.

Stolen check leads to arrest

A 51-year-old man was arrested yesterday after he allegedly tried to cash a stolen check at a Honolulu bank.

Police said the man walked into the bank about 2:40 p.m. and presented the check, which was drawn on the account of an area business.

The teller to whom the man handed the check sensed there was something wrong with it and stalled the man while the bank manager checked with the account holder, who confirmed the check was stolen.

Police were called to the bank and arrested the man for suspicion of second-degree forgery.

Forged check reported

A 48-year-old 'Ewa Beach man was arrested yesterday after he allegedly tried to cash a forged check at a check cashing business on Atkinson Drive.

Police said the man presented the check about 4:45 p.m. and a clerk contacted the 86-year-old man who owns the checking account.

The account holder denied issuing the check to the man who was trying to cash it.

Police were called and arrested the man for suspicion of second-degree forgery.

Check altered in amount of $4,000

An 18-year-old Pearl City woman was arrested yesterday for allegedly stealing a check and making it out to herself for almost $4,000 more than the original check.

Police believe the woman took the check out of a private mailbox and altered it by changing the amount on the check from $13 to $4,008.

She then altered the "payable to" line to herself and tried to deposit the check into her own account. The woman ran out of the bank when the teller tried to contact the account owner to verify that the check was valid, police said.

The woman then went to a different branch of the same bank about 2:45 yesterday afternoon and inquired about the check she had left at the other branch.

Police were called and arrested the woman for suspicion of second-degree forgery.

Waipahu man accused of sexual assault arrested

A 33-year-old Waipahu man was arrested yesterday for suspicion of first-degree sexual assault after a 27-year-old woman told police the man attacked her last July.

The woman told police she was in a car with the man who drove her to a secluded area in Hawaii Kai about 2 a.m. and attacked her.

The woman told police she waited until she moved away from the man and felt safe about reporting the incident.

Stolen car leads to arrest

A 40-year-old homeless man was arrested yesterday after police found him behind the wheel of a stolen car in 'Ewa.

A patrol officer was driving down Renton Road when he noticed the car headed in the opposite direction with a tire that appeared to be low on air.

The officer ran a check on the car's license plate, learned it had been reported stolen, made a U-turn and caught up with the car, ordering its driver to pull over.

He then arrested the man for suspicion of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle.

Search leads to new complaints

Legal troubles for a 19-year-old man increased rapidly yesterday after he was arrested initially in Kaimuki for suspicion of driving without a license.

The man was arrested on 10th Avenue and was taken to the main police station on the traffic violation, police said.

While the man was being searched as part of the booking process, police reported finding two credit cards on him, each belonging to someone else. Police then arrested the man a second time for suspicion of possession of stolen credit cards.

Youth detained over use of car

A 16-year-old Kane'ohe girl who took her father's pickup truck without permission yesterday now faces criminal charges.

Police said the father, 35, found the truck missing and filed a stolen truck report. When the daughter returned home, the father called police and asked that she be arrested.

The girl was arrested for suspicion of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle after the father insisted he wanted the matter prosecuted.

Scuffle ends in woman's arrest

A 52-year-old Kalihi woman was arrested yesterday at the Hawaii Country Club on Kunia Road after she allegedly threatened to harm a 49-year-old woman with a cane knife.

Police said the two women were arguing about 8:20 a.m. when one of them threatened the other and threw the knife. No one was injured by the knife, but the older woman then punched the younger one in the chest, police said.

The victim fell to the ground and the suspect then jumped on her, police said. The victim did not appear to be injured during the scuffle, police said.