On Saturday around 6 p.m., a 94-year-old woman answered her apartment door at Pohai Nani retirement community thinking it was her grandchild. The young woman at the door even used the granddaughter’s name. Once the door was open, the thief forced herself into the apartment, threw the elderly woman to the ground, put a foot on the victim’s face to quiet her and then gagged her. The suspect went through the apartment, found the elderly woman’s wallet and cash, and ran out.
The daughter of the victim asked that their names not be used. “She and my family already feel violated and vulnerable and do not want to bring any more attention to us,” she said.
At the same time, they want to bring attention to the crime and to the criminal who has yet to be caught.
| PUBLIC’S HELP WANTED
CrimeStoppers and the Honolulu Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a woman, who is wanted for robbery after entering a 94-year-old victim’s apartment at Pohai Nani retirement home and assaulting her before searching the unit.
Suspect: Unknown female
Ethnicity: Polynesian
Age: 20 to 30 years old
Height: 5 feet 2 to 5 feet 6 inches
Weight: 140 to 160 pounds
Hair: Brown “Ehu” color hair
Clothing: Black top, blue jeans, black shoes
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on your cellular phone. You also could go to honolulucrimestoppers.org and submit a tip.
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“My mother badly sprained her shoulder and arm, but otherwise was not seriously physically hurt,” the daughter said. “It’s the emotional injury that really is the most painful to see. My mom was very active and social, and now she just stays in her room. … Emotionally, she’s a shell of the mom I knew.”
The daughter said her mom enjoyed living at Pohai Nani. She learned to play Scrabble, danced hula, played ukulele and had many friends. She exercised by going up and down the fire exit stairwell of her building. “She looked and acted much younger than 94,” her daughter said. But the robbery took a terrible toll. “Suddenly, because of this senseless, violent incident, my mother has become old. It breaks my heart to watch her now. She is always nervous, won’t go out of her room, she doesn’t want to eat. She doesn’t watch her Korean shows — she’s nervously tidying up her room, she can’t sit still and be relaxed. I hate to think that she will be this fearful, overly cautious, withdrawn person for the rest of her life.”
Security photos of the suspect have been shared on social media. The Honolulu Police Department and CrimeStoppers are asking for tips on the person’s identity.
“Right now, she has this idea in her head that the suspect will come back to possibly retaliate against her for reporting the incident,” the daughter said. She’s hoping she can tell her mom that the suspect has been caught. “It would give my mom so much peace of mind.”
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
