Hawaii island police arrest two men after violent home invasion in Kona
Hawaii island police have arrested two men after a home invasion in South Kona on Sunday afternoon resulted in three injured victims.
Police said just before 1 p.m. Sunday, Kona patrol officers responded to a call in Captain Cook in which two men had been reported fleeing in a gray Honda sedan.
Officers determined that two masked gunmen — later identified as Jerome Kahoalii-Heath, 23, and Ioane Asagra, 27 — had allegedly entered the home, demanding drugs and money. They struck the three witnesses in the head with a weapon, resulting in injuries.
Police said they found .40-caliber casings at the scene, which later matched ammunition found during a warranted search of the suspects’ vehicles.
The suspects, meanwhile, were reported to have stolen a red Jeep Cherokee that officers spotted traveling south on Highway 190. Officers did not engage in a pursuit because the driver, Kahoalii-Heath, was driving recklessly, police said.
However, officers attempted to stop him near an intersection, and the driver eventually made an illegal U-turn, hit a curb, and came to a stop.
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Police arrested Kahoalii-Heath and his passenger, a 20-year-old woman, and recovered a semi-automatic pistol from the Jeep.
Shortly thereafter, Asagra turned himself in to police and was arrested.
Hawaii island police continue to investigate these incidents.