Driver targets Ewa Beach crowd
COURTESY HAWAII NEWS NOW
Police investigated the scene of a pedestrian accident on Tuesday morning in Ewa Beach.
An 18-year-old woman was in critical condition Tuesday after she and several other young people were intentionally struck by a driver who then fled the scene in Ewa Beach, witnesses said.
Police were still searching for the suspect Tuesday night and opened a second-degree attempted murder investigation.
Police said the incident happened after an argument involving a large group of people on Fort Weaver Road at about 3 a.m. Tuesday. An Emergency Medical Services crew treated and took the woman in critical condition to a hospital. A 17-year-old boy was also taken to the hospital, in stable condition, but was later released, police said.
Witnesses said the argument broke out among a group of young people who had gathered in the middle of Fort Weaver Road near Kihala Street. The car was stopped next to the group but then sped away, came back and sped away again, hitting people as it went.
“Scary,” said Noelani Lopez, who was looking out her bedroom window because she heard the argument. “I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
She said she saw a light-colored sedan accelerate away from the crowd of about two dozen teens in the road, toward the H-1 freeway, hit two people down the road, then reverse and head back toward the group. The driver was swerving to intentionally strike pedestrians as they tried to scatter, and hit the woman, who was tossed into the air by the impact, Lopez said. She estimated about 10 people were hit by the driver, many knocked to the side, but most were not seriously hurt.
The driver then turned around again and fled toward H-1, she said.
Lopez’s daughter, Nohea- lani Castellano, said her father went to help and found the woman on the ground still conscious and talking, saying that she couldn’t feel anything, was tired and wanted to sleep.
Castellano said the woman graduated from Campbell High School last year, and the group had apparently been at a party somewhere in the Barbers Point area, then ended up at a house nearby.
Danny Rivera, who also witnessed the crash, said, “I seen kids flying. It was horrible. It was traumatic. I never seen anything like that.”
He said he heard the car engine revving loudly as the driver accelerated during each of the three passes he made. Rivera said that as the car fled, he saw it had a shattered windshield and a dented driver’s-side door.
Rivera said he brought a towel to the woman after she was hit and found her boyfriend holding her as she lay on the ground. He said a nurse told the boyfriend, who was not the male taken to the hospital, not to move her, and Rivera placed the towel behind the woman’s neck on the street.
18 responses to “Driver targets Ewa Beach crowd”
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From what was reported, they are looking for a young 15 year old African American with dreadlocks. Gangs from the continent?
If THAT’S the case, curfew laws come into play and they need to also go after the mom and dad. That’s assuming the dad is around.
“Local Lives Matter”
lol
“That’s assuming the dad is around.”
Come on, man. No need for that.
The title or at least first sentence on this story should have been the best description of the car. This is an island, and the public’s help is needed to find it.
I find it odd that the incident is described as and “accident” under the photo. I wonder if he practiced this on a video game?
Yeah that’s what they learn playing video games.
Standards of conduct of the millennial,generation? if dissatisfied, maim without any regard, ncluding death? Seems so.
You are coming off a little stupid.
the car was stopped next to the crowd. how can no one know who this person is or give a pretty accurate description of the car? the cops should have caught this moron already.
To bad nobody in the neighborhood called the police to break up the crowd at 3 am. Normal occurrence?
Now that’s what you would call crazy, or a pissed off driver for whatever reason he was pissed off and plowed his car into a bunch of teenagers.
What are these “kids” doing in the middle of Ft Weaver Rd at 3 a.m.? PARENT PROBLEMS no control.
It must have been something so interesting that they all had to be out at 3a.m. on the street.
Ahhhh. The start of summer in the ghettos. More news like this as punks have nothing to do but make trouble as they act like the world owes them a favor.
3 AM! A group of young people gathered on the street? Trouble just waiting to happen. Hwy parents!!! Do you know/care where your kids are?
Based on the witness’ statement, this is at least “attempted murder”. Whomever this person is, he/she will be looking at a lot of time behind bars. Hard to believe a self defense claim will stand up in court when the driver turned around and was seen going after the victims.