Suspected accomplice of man killed by police in Kapolei being held on $25,000 warrant
COURTESY HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT
Melvin Spillner, as seen in an undated police photo. Spillner was arrested Tuesday in Kapolei.
A suspected accomplice of the 30-year-old man killed by police in Kapolei on Tuesday is being held on a $25,000 warrant for criminal contempt.
Police arrested Melvin Spillner, 24, Tuesday night at a Kapolei gas station on suspicion of resisting arrest and criminal contempt of court. He has not been charged with those offenses but is still being detained on the earlier warrant.
Plainclothes officers spotted a vehicle that Michael Kahalehoe was driving and followed it into a Shell gas station at 577 Farrington Highway at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
When officers identified themselves as police, Spillner — who was gassing up the vehicle — attempted to run but police caught him, according to Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard at a news conference held Wednesday afternoon.
Ballard said Kahalehoe drove “back and forth in an attempt to leave the gas station” when he struck a police vehicle and grazed one of the officers.
Police officers then fired about 20 rounds at Kahalehoe, killing him.
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Ballard said both Kahalehoe and Spillner are suspects in multiple armed robberies that occurred on Oahu since Nov. 3. Both have criminal records with felony convictions involving vehicles break-ins and vehicle thefts.
The two men are also considered possible suspects in recent carjackings and “smash-and-grab” cases.
On Tuesday, CrimeStoppers issued a bulletin seeking the public’s help in locating Kahalehoe, Spillner and a third man, Victor Gascon III, 25, who remains at-large for failing to comply with the terms and conditions of probation.
