Police identify 2 killed in chase, 3-car crash in Kahului
Two people died and two were injured after a man slammed a car head-on into another during a police chase in Kahului, Maui police said.
Police identified the man who died as Joshua Apo, 29, of Wailuku and the woman who was killed as Melissa Egbert, 33, of Lahaina.
Police officers responded to a suspicious-vehicle call at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday on East Waiko Road in Waikapu and found Apo sleeping in a silver Nissan sedan. Officers woke up Apo, who reversed the vehicle into a police car and sped away. Two officers had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit, police said.
Officers gave chase with lights flashing and sirens blaring on Honoapiilani Highway. Apo turned onto Kuihelani Highway and entered the oncoming southbound lane.
The officers continued their pursuit in the northbound lanes.
Apo collided head-on with a black Scion. A Hyundai also traveling south hit the Scion.
Apo and Egbert, who was alone in the Scion, were taken to the Maui Medical Memorial Center, where they died from their injuries.
The two occupants of the Hyundai, tourists from Washington state, were taken to the emergency room and treated for minor injuries. No officers were hurt.
The traffic fatalities were Maui County’s 17th and 18th this year, compared with 19 at this time last year.
8 responses to “Police identify 2 killed in chase, 3-car crash in Kahului”
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Did the police chase cause the accident?
noo.. it was caused by the wrongful actions and bad parenting that led to someone being chased by he police
while the suspect is responsible for causing the pursuit by fleeing, the police also hold some responsibility (liability) for extending a vehicle pursuit.
police chases end in fatal crashes so often that police departments across the nation have written guidelines prohibiting certain actions during pursuits and direct field supervisors to cancel pursuits deemed dangerous, as this pursuit ultimately proved to be.
the reason for the initial stop must be weighed against the knowledge that many police pursuits end in fatalities to innocent bystanders and other vehicle operators.
wrightj’s question will be a vital part of the lawsuits that will be filed as a result of this incident.
In LA many police pursuits are televised live as it occurs. Some take several hours and eventually ends in the reckless driver apprehended. When safe the “pit” maneuver is used to disable/stop the auto. Of course the maneuver is used with utmost caution!
Exactly, st1d. But we can at least give MPD credit for not firing at the fleeing vehicle “because they were in fear for their lives”, another common outcome of this scenario.
great question !!!
I would guess yes because they continued the chase on the correct side of the road. They knew who he was and the car he was driving.
Another drug related incident. So sorry for the innocent person who died from this idiot’s action and for the others who got hurt