Car-chase suspect arrested for October burglary

A Kalihi man awaiting trial for allegedly leading police on a chase from Honolulu to Windward Oahu has been arrested in connection with a Hawaii Kai burglary in October.

Scott Van Lee, 31, remained at the main police cell block on Wednesday awaiting charges for the burglary.

Police said a 61-year-old man returning home on the morning of Oct. 27 saw a man fleeing from his home carrying his safe.

DNA evidence and a photo lineup led police to arrest Lee at Oahu Community Correctional Center, where he is awaiting trial for the police chase.

Police are still searching for a second suspect in the burglary.

In the vehicle chase, officers spotted Lee, who had been wanted for a warrant and allegedly forging a check, as he was driving a van in Manoa on Nov. 29.

Police followed the van along Makiki roads before it continued onto Pali Highway, then onto Waimanalo and back to Kailua. The chase ended about 30 minutes later on Kamehameha Highway, fronting Hawaii Pacific University’s Hawaii Loa campus. No one was injured, but three minor traffic accidents happened along the way.

Lee was charged with numerous counts, including second-degree forgery, second-degree identity theft, unauthorized control of personal information, second-degree theft, first-degree burglary, drug offenses, and resisting an order to stop.

In another incident, Lee surrendered peacefully in January after a standoff with police SWAT officers that shut down Kamehameha Highway in Kualoa for three hours. He was arrested at a Kualoa home on armed robbery and burglary charges.