Honolulu police shot a 35-year-old burglary suspect who fled from police, entered an Aiea home, assaulted a resident and tried to flee in a pickup truck, striking and injuring officers.
Police said the suspected burglar was in serious but stable condition with injuries to his upper torso after the shooting. Four officers were involved in the confrontation at 99-052 Moanalua Road, three homes away from Alvah Scott Elementary School.
The man now faces five counts of first-degree attempted murder, one count of burglary and two counts of auto theft. He has a history of felony convictions, including first-degree robbery, burglary, theft, auto theft and drug offenses.
Police Maj. Richard Robinson said officers were searching for the suspect in connection with a previous burglary in the area when they spotted him at 3:30 p.m. at a home nearby on Heleconia Place.
The man then got on a stolen motorcycle, sped off, but lost control of the motorcycle and crashed at the elementary school, Robinson said.
He fled on foot to the house, where he struck a 68-year-old man in the head, entered the house, then emerged a short time later with the keys to the resident’s white pickup and tried to flee in the truck, Robinson said. The man entered the truck, reversed and accelerated, injuring two officers.
That’s when "multiple officers fired, striking him," Robinson said. The officers who were struck by the truck were treated at the scene and were in good condition.
The man was treated at the scene for injuries to his head, he said.
A 68-year-old woman who was in her yard next door said she was terrified for her 2-year-old grandson as she saw the suspect jump over the fence into the yard, heard cries for help and saw police shoot the man.
"I heard police say, ‘Get down on the ground,’ while they were chasing him. I saw him running from Alvah Scott" into the neighboring yard, said the woman, who asked not to be named.
She heard police announce that they had the house surrounded and there was nowhere the man could go, she said. "They told him to give himself up," and when he reversed out of the driveway, he "burned rubber."
"I saw them open fire," she said. "I thought I was watching ‘Cops’ on TV."
Neighbor Pam Self, 56, said she saw the neighbor bleeding from his head.
Robinson said the officers were placed on administrative leave, as is standard practice whenever officers are involved in a shooting. They have between 10 and 22 years of service.
