Honolulu police are conducting a manhunt in Waimanalo this morning for a suspect in the armed robbery at a Kaneohe gas station.

At about 5:30 a.m., police urged the public to stay away from Kumuhau Street, mauka of Kalanianaole Highway on the Kailua end of Waimanalo.

Officers blocked off Kumuhau Street at Mahailua Street as the Honolulu Police Department’s Specialized Services Division searched the rural area.

The manhunt is tied to the robbery of a man in Kaneohe who was pumping gas around 3 a.m. at the Aloha Petroleum Likelike station at 45-620 Kamehameha Highway, next to the Kaneohe Burger King.

Police said a man armed with a handgun stole a black Suzuki motorcycle from the lot and sped off toward Waimanalo.

Officers spotted the motorcycle and alleged thief in Waimanalo. When they recovered a motorcycle on Kumuhau Street, the driver had disappeared, police said.

Police described the suspect as a man in his late 20s or early 30s, about 6 feet tall, 200 pounds and a medium build. He may have a tattoo under his left eye.

Police began scaling down the manhunt at about 9 a.m. and reopened Kumuhau Street. Most of the SSD team left the area. But police said other officers and two police dogs remained in the area searching for the suspect.

Residents were asked to stay indoors during the search in the thick brush and trees in the area.

Kumuhau Street resident Paul Kaneshiro awoke to the sound of the helicopter at about 5:30 a.m.

"It brought some excitement this morning," Kaneshiro said.

Resident Shem Cavasso, who owns a hydro-mulching business out of his property, said one of his workers tried to drive into the mauka part of Kumuhau to drop off some equipment but was stopped by police.

"Besides being inconvenienced, I’m not worried about it," Cavasso said. "If I see someone in my yard, they’re the ones who should be more worried."