Crimes involving firearms are on the rise, HPD says

With a recent string of high-profile violent crimes on Oahu, the Honolulu police chief reassured the public that there is no increase in crime overall.

However, law enforcement observed a spike in crimes involving firearms. “That is very troubling to us and very worrisome,” said Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard at a Wednesday news conference held at the Honolulu Police Department’s main headquarters.

A violent robbery occurred Monday night in Waikiki when two armed male suspects approached a 63-year-old Japanese visitor on Kanekapolei Street and grabbed her purse.

The victim and her 29-year-old son were on their way back to their hotel after celebrating her birthday at the time of the violent purse-snatching.

The woman’s son intervened when the robbers allegedly struck him in the face with the butt of a pistol and fled in a vehicle occupied by two other armed male suspects.

The woman was taken to The Queen’s Medical Center where she was treated for scrapes she sustained to her arms and legs when she fell to the ground during the robbery. Her son was also taken to the hospital to be treated for a gash to his forehead.

Police Maj. Walter Ozeki said there has been an estimated 20% increase in crimes involving firearms. It has been a slow progression, he said at the news conference.

“It just the sign of the times. It has to do with desperation,” he added.

Ozeki noted it is challenging to determine whether the robbers in Monday’s purse-snatching are linked to other recent robbery cases in Honolulu because of the lack of description of the suspects.

“With these type of cases, we don’t have a lot of information to work on because the descriptions are very vague. We can look at the mode of operation and say it’s similar, but in terms of actually identifying the same individuals, it gets very difficult,” he said.

Jessica Lani Rich, executive director of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii, delivered a dobash birthday cake to the crime victim and took her and her family to a restaurant for dinner Wednesday night.

VASH cannot erase what happened to these visitors. What the organization can do, Rich said, is show kindness and compassion.

“Words can’t even say how horrible so many people feel about this incident. What we can do is express our aloha and our concern and let visitors know how much people really do care about them,” she added.

The family was to return to Japan today.

Ballard said HPD has increased police presence with plainclothes officers and bike officers in certain areas where recent high-profile crimes occurred.

Meanwhile, she said she is continuing to work with city officials to address a staffing shortage at the police department.

At Wednesday’s news conference, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, said, “The crimes that we’re seeing recently, what happened (Monday), the purse-snatching in Waikiki, is a crime of opportunity.”

He reminded visitors and residents alike to walk in well-lit areas, be aware of your surroundings and look out for one another.