Three people who were in the sport utility vehicle involved in Friday’s shooting that left accused cop killer Justin Waiki dead and a police officer injured are charged with being accomplices to the attempted murder of the officer.
Hawaii County police said Sunday that they charged Jorge Pagan-Torres, 35, and Malia Lajala, 30, both of Hilo, and Krystle Ferreira, 29, of Waimea, with hindering prosecution, criminal conspiracy, complicity to attempted first-degree murder and illegal weapon possession. Pagan-Torres is also charged with two counts of violating his probation and Lajala with two counts of drug promotion.
Pagan-Torres was on probation for drug promotion.
All three defendants were scheduled to appear in Kona District Court this morning. In the meantime they remain in custody without the opportunity for release on bail at the Kealakehe Police Station in Kona.
Police arrested Pagan-
Torres, Lajala and Ferreira on Friday at the scene of the shooting. They were acting on a tip about Waiki’s whereabouts when they stopped the SUV carrying the three defendants at a checkpoint on South Point Road in Kau.
As officers of the Hawaii Police Department’s Special Response Team were searching the SUV, police said Waiki, who was also in the vehicle, opened fire and wounded one of the officers.
Hawaii Police Chief Paul Ferreira said the other officers at the scene immediately returned fire, resulting in Waiki’s death.
A Hawaii Fire Department helicopter transported the wounded officer, a 12-year veteran of the department and an SRT sergeant, to Hilo Medical Center with gunshot wounds to the right side of his torso, right arm and hand. Police said Saturday that the sergeant was in stable condition and recovering nicely.
Police say a 35-year-old woman who was hiding in the SUV also was shot and taken to Hilo Medical Center. They say she suffered a gunshot wound to her leg and has a broken thigh bone.
Police said when they searched the SUV, they recovered numerous rounds of ammunition, small quantities of what they think are methamphetamine and black-tar heroin, and $620 in cash. They recovered a .38-caliber revolver at the scene of the shooting. It had been report stolen in March.
Police say the SUV is
registered to Ferreira’s
parents.
County and federal law enforcement officers had been on the hunt for Waiki since Hawaii County police officer Bronson Kaliloa, 46, was gunned down Tuesday at a traffic stop in Mountain View. They had even put up a reward for information that lead to Waiki’s capture.
Waiki, 33, was wanted for failing to show up in court in March for a probation
revocation hearing when police say he pulled his
vehicle onto the shoulder of Highway 11. Waiki was on probation for drug
promotion and firearm
possession.
Police said when Kaliloa and other officers approached the vehicle, Waiki exited and fired multiple shots from a handgun, striking Kaliloa in the neck and leg. They said the two other officers on the scene returned fire but that Waiki fled on foot into nearby brush.
A county ambulance transported Kaliloa to Hilo Medical Center where he died.