2 Los Angeles travelers arrested on Kauai for falsified travel documents
Two travelers from Los Angeles were arrested around noon Tuesday for uploading falsified documents into the Hawaii Safe Travels portal in an attempt to avoid the state’s travel quarantine requirements.
Lazar Hayward Jr., 34, and Raven Randle, 33, of California, traveled from Los Angeles International Airport to Lihue Airport via a direct American Airlines flight. Both travelers had registered their trip in the Hawaii Safe Travels portal and had uploaded falsified negative COVID-19 test documents into the system.
The documents were flagged by the Safe Travels application. Hawaii travel-screening officials with the Hawaii National Guard and Roberts Hawaii then alerted the Department of the Attorney General’s Investigations Division, along with the Kauai Emergency Management Agency and Kauai Police Department officials.
The Attorney General’s Investigations Division proceeded to conduct a thorough investigation and collaborated with Kauai police who arrested the two individuals.
“The Department of the Attorney General values its partnership with the Kauaʿi Police Department and the Kauaʿi Emergency Management Agency and appreciates their collaboration in enforcing COVID-19 rules and efforts to keep Kauaʿi communities safe,” said Special Assistant to the Attorney General Gary Yamashiroya.
After being booked for the offenses, Hayward and Randle were released pending investigation and driven back to Lihue Airport where they caught a direct flight back to Los Angeles.
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A court date has not yet been set.
“These arrests highlight the continuing efforts between the Attorney General’s investigators, other State officials and County law enforcement to keep Hawaiʿi safe,” said Patrol Services Bureau Assistant Chief Mark Begley. “We also want to thank the vast majority of our visitors and residents who respect and follow the safety protocols that are in place during their travel to Hawaiʿi.”