The man police believe was driving the pickup truck that struck a Honolulu Police Department patrol vehicle, killing the officer inside, was on his way to the airport to fly to Texas to join his U.S. Air Force Reserve unit for an annual tour of duty when the crash occurred Saturday night on the H-1 freeway.
Mililani resident Scott Frederick Ebert, 41, is a federal fire inspector by day, confirmed Navy Region Hawaii spokeswoman Agnes Tauyon. Ebert’s career in the Federal Fire Department began in October 2007, she said. His duties included community outreach and fire prevention activities, Tauyon said.
In the Reserves, Ebert has been a staff sergeant with the Air Force Reserves 624th Regional Support Group based out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Tauyon said.
Ebert was on his way to Honolulu Airport, where he was to catch a flight to San Antonio for the annual two-week tour of duty, Tauyon said. Ebert did not travel to Texas, she said.Efforts to reach Ebert were unsuccessful Tuesday.
Officer Garret Davis was driving paperwork from the Wahiawa substation to the Honolulu police headquarters when he stopped his marked Crown Victoria patrol car behind a black Chevrolet pickup truck that was stalled in the left, eastbound lane of H-1 eastbound at the Kaonohi Street overpass in Aiea, police said.
Davis had turned on his blue police lights but was in his car when he was struck from behind by Ebert’s Chevrolet Silverado, police said. Davis’ car burst into flames. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A man and a woman in the front vehicle were taken to the hospital in guarded condition.
Ebert was arrested on a charge of negligent homicide but was later released pending investigation as is typical in a pedestrian fatal case.
The national organization Center for Auto Safety described the Crown Victoria a "death trap for officers in rear-end collisions."
The Crown Victoria is the most popular police car in the country, and on Tuesday, HPD spokesman Capt. Andrew Lum confirmed that most of the department’s marked patrol cars are Crown Victorias. HPD has 400 Crown Victorias in its fleet, about 280 of which are used as patrol cars, Lum said. All are 2006-11 models, he said.
In addition to the 280 Crown Victorias, the department also has about 20 marked Ford Fusion patrol cars, HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said. "We’re testing their suitability for police work," Yu said.
Yu said the department is aware that Ford stopped making the Crown Victoria in 2011 and that HPD is looking at its options for future purchases.
Most other HPD patrol officers travel in their own, subsidized vehicles
"Officer safety is always of great concern, and the HPD is committed to providing our officer with the latest and best training and equipment," Lum said.
The Hawaii Law Enforcement Federal Credit Union has begun accepting donations for the Officer Garret Davis Fund, which will go toward aiding Davis’ young daughter and other family members. Donations are being accepted at all branches of the credit union and can be made by cash or check.
Donations should be labeled as for the Garret Davis Fund. Checks should be made payable to the Hawaii law Enforcement Federal Credit Union with "Davis" written in the memo line.
Donations can also be mailed to the credit union’s main brach at 1537 Young Street, 3rd Floor, Honolulu, HI 96826.
