Police and Fire

Help wanted in catching bank robber

Police are asking for the public’s help in tracking down a suspect in the robbery of an American Savings Bank in Manoa on Friday.

The man, in his 40s, is described as 6 feet 2 inches and weighing about 180 to 200 pounds.

Police said the bank at 2855 E. Manoa Road was robbed about 5:51 p.m. Friday, when a man approached a teller and said he needed money for "his family’s ransom," police said.

The man was wearing a blue aloha shirt, gray pants and a black baseball cap. He fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.

Child using fireworks starts home fire

A boy playing with fireworks accidentally ignited a blaze at a Mililani home on Friday night, firefighters said.

The fire caused about $150,000 in damage to the two-story home and its contents, and displaced a family of four.

The fire started about 6:32 p.m.

The boy, whose age was not released, and a woman were at home when the blaze started.

The fire started in a second-floor bedroom of the house, located at 95-102 Imina Place.

No one was injured in the blaze.

The Red Cross was assisting the family.

Woman arrested in assault on police

A 27-year-old Waipahu woman allegedly assaulted a police officer outside of Chez Sports Bar and Grill in Aiea early yesterday morning.

The woman was arrested at 4:10 a.m. after she allegedly beat an officer who was attempting to break up a scuffle outside the Aiea nightclub.

The female officer was treated for minor injuries at Kapiolani Medical Center at Pali Momi and released this morning.

Crews battle Maui blaze

Maui firefighters were battling a brush fire yesterday that had burned about 140 acres.

The fire, reported about 10:20 a.m., was about a mile away from Mokulele Highway in Kahului and was not affecting traffic, according to a Maui County news release.

No injuries were reported, and there were no reports of any damage to structures. The cause is unknown.

Suspect’s bail $1M, for now

WAILUKU » A bail hearing is set for Tuesday for a Maui man charged with second-degree murder.

Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto said Thursday that until then, bail for suspect Robert Chiarizia will remain at $1 million.

The 40-year-old Chiarizia has pleaded not guilty to murder and a charge of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. He is accused of fatally shooting 45-year-old Alan Alika Vegas of Kaupo last October.

Chiarizia eluded police for nine months before being captured Monday at a campsite in heavy brush. Police say he had been living in a shelter made of branches and leaves.

Crash injures Kapaa woman

An 18-year-old Kapaa woman suffered serious injuries in a one-car crash in Wailua, Kauai, Thursday night and was airlifted to the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu.

Another passenger, a 17-year-old male juvenile, sustained minor abrasions and declined medical treatment.

The 19-year-old male driver from Kilauea was treated at Wilcox Hospital and released.

Police said the driver and his passengers were westbound in a black Acura about 10:40 p.m. on Olohena Road a half-mile east of Mile Marker 2. The driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, climbed an embankment and crashed into some trees.