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Pahoa woman charged with aiding fugitive shot by Big Isle police

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DARYL LEE / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Police investigated the scene of a police-involved shooting in Hilo Tuesday night.

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COURTESY HAWAII COUNTY POLICE

Kaiini Febo-Santiago

A 30-year-old Pahoa woman, who was driving the minivan containing an armed fugitive before he was shot and killed at a Big Island Walmart store parking lot, was charged Thursday night with aiding the suspect.

Kaiini Febo-Santiago was charged at 10:35 p.m. with second-degree hindering prosecution. Her bail was set at $500. She was released after posting bail.

An autopsy conducted Thursday on Scottie Yanagawa, 29, who died Tuesday after firing on four police officers, determined that he died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Big Island police said they were looking for Yanagawa and initiated a traffic stop on a Toyota minivan in a parking lot of a shopping center on the 300 block of East Makaala Street.

Police said the minivan was known to be operated by Yanagawa, who was wanted for his involvement in a Jan. 31 shooting in the Honolii area and for escaping from the Hale Nani correctional facility on Nov. 19.

Police ordered Yanagawa and Febo-Santiago, who was driving the van, out of the vehicle. While exiting the passenger side of the vehicle, Yanagawa fired at police officers.

Four police officers returned fire, killing Yanagawa.

Kabo-Santiago was uninjured and arrested at the scene for aiding a fugitive.

Yanagawa’s death occurred four days after Ronald Barawis Jr., 38, of Kailua-Kona, was shot and killed by police officers at the McDonald’s restaurant in the Puainako Town Center.

Yanagawa was a furlough escapee who did not return Nov. 19 from a work program day pass at Hale Nani Reintegration Center in Hilo.

Police on Monday issued a wanted bulletin, saying Yanagawa, who was serving time for burglary and felony theft, was wanted for his alleged involvement in a Jan. 31 shooting near Honolii Beach in Hilo. The bulletin described Yanagawa as “armed and dangerous.”

Barawis was wanted for violating his parole and for allegedly trying to run down a police officer with a car on Jan. 20 in Kona. He had a shotgun, rifle and two semi-automatic handguns in the 1991 Honda sedan he was driving.

A 28-year-old woman in the front-passenger seat of Barawis’ car was also shot in the face. She survived and was taken to an Oahu hospital. She hasn’t been arrested or charged with any crimes, and police have not released her name.

All four officers involved in Yanagawa’s shooting and the three involved in Barawis’ shooting are on paid administrative leave.

In both cases, police are conducting criminal investigations, and the Office of Professional Standards is conducting an administrative investigation, which is standard practice in a police-involved shooting.

Last year there were four police-involved shootings on the Big Island, none fatal. All of the shootings were in East Hawaii.

All of the victims were motorists who allegedly drove toward an officer or officers. They were all caught by police.

In seperate cases, Daesyn Pacheco-Muragin and Cherish Torres pleaded guilty to various charges and were sentenced to five years in prison.

Two suspects in the other cases, James Salai and Jomal Gin Ford, are in custody awaiting trial on numerous charges, including terroristic threatening for Salai and four counts of attempted murder for Ford.

2 responses to “Pahoa woman charged with aiding fugitive shot by Big Isle police”

  1. allie says:

    $500.00 bail? Huh? You gotta be kidding.

  2. paniolo says:

    Lucky she didn’t get shot in the crossfire.

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