A Honolulu Police reserve officer was killed last night after his car slammed into a van in 'Alewa Heights.

The officer's name was not released last night, but he was off duty at the time of the accident, police said.

A 39-year-old man, who was the van's driver, and two 16-year-old boys were at The Queen's Medical Center in serious condition.

A girl who was also in the van refused treatment at the scene.

The 6:15 p.m. accident was at the intersection of Ilima Drive and Puna Street.

The officer's black four-door Pontiac sedan entered the intersection and crashed into the white Volkswagen minivan that was heading down Puna Street and making a left turn onto Ilima. The officer died at the scene.

Traffic investigators were still at the scene at press time last night.

News of the officer's death spread quickly and within an hour Police Chief Boisse Correa and Deputy Chief Glen Kajiyama were at the scene.

They also visited the officer's wife at the couple's Ilima Drive home about 100 yards from the accident scene.

Correa said he knew the officer who was assigned to the HPD criminal investigation division.

"He was one of those guys who was very dedicated. We're sad about the whole thing and we're trying to see what happened," the chief said.

Several neighbors said they were in their homes on Ilima Drive when they heard a car speeding down the narrow street. The neighbors speculated that the officer may have had some kind of medical condition that caused the accident because he had left to pick up food, but upon his return, sped by his house and did not slow down as he headed into the intersection, right before the crash.

Anna Arii said her husband had spoken to the officer's wife minutes after the crash. "She said he was going to McDonald's and was supposed to come back," Arii said. She said police at the scene said they found a bag of food in the officer's car.

One man who lives two houses from intersection said he had never heard a car going so fast on the narrow street, where the speed limit is 15 miles an hour. "I heard just the wind of the car go past," said the man who did not want to be identified. "A second later I heard a big crash, it was solid, like he hit a wall."

The man said he did not hear any tires screeching and it did not appear to him as though the black Pontiac had slowed down before the collision.

"Many people ran to the scene to help the injured people, but they were getting nervous because gas was leaking from the car and it began to smoke," the man said. "People were trying to call to the guy in the car, but they got no response."

Chief Correa said reserve officers go through police academy training and volunteer at least 20 hours a month to the department. "These are people who do voluntary work, who have gone through the same rigorous program that other officers do," he said.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.