After a police officer pulled over a man for speeding through Laie Thursday morning, the man allegedly assaulted the officer with a dangerous instrument, stole the officer’s car, and took off for the North Shore, chased by other officers across the island, until they finally arrested him in front of Iolani Palace.

The officer, a 16-year police veteran assigned to the windward side, sustained injuries to his head and was taken to a hospital in critical condition, Honolulu Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan said at a news conference later in the day. “Last time I heard, I believe he was conscious,” Logan said.

The suspect, 39 years old, was arrested for first-degree attempted murder on a law enforcement officer, first degree theft, unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, and resisting arrest, Logan said. The suspect was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the chief said.

Officers got a call before 5 a.m. Thursday that reported two vehicles driving “hazardously” in Laie, Logan said. Honolulu police responded to the area of Naniloa Loop and Iosepa Street at about 4:55 a.m.

When an officer pulled over one of the drivers, the driver got out of the car, beat the officer with “something that’s been described as a crowbar or something like that,” then drove off in the officer’s police-subsidized personal vehicle, Logan said. Emergency Medical Services personnel administered advanced life support to the man, described to be in his mid-40s. “They were able to stabilize him at the scene and on the way to the hospital,” Logan said.

The driver headed up to the North Shore then down to Wahiawa, Logan said. Officers followed him onto the H-2 freeway and onto the H-1, where the driver went “in the east and westbound directions” for about two hours, before coming to a stop in front of Iolani Palace, Logan said. Officers arrested him on South King Street at 7 a.m., arrest records show.

>> Chief Joe Logan provides information on this morning’s assault on an HPD officer

Robert Cavaco, president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, said in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “Today, all SHOPO members statewide pray for the full recovery of our officer and the well-being of his family as he fights to recover from a brutal, unprovoked attack.” Cavaco went on, “We urge the prosecuting attorney to pursue the strongest charges possible to hold this suspect accountable and to send a clear message that strict consequences will come if you assault an officer.”

“Usually I say 80 percent of the job is paperwork and a little bit of boredom, and then 10 to 20 percent is this time when things happen,” Logan said. “And you always have to be ready for that 10 to 20 percent.”

Police arrested the suspect earlier this week after a separate incident in Waialua.

He allegedly unlawfully entered or remained on school grounds at Waialua Elementary School on Waialua Beach Road after school authorities asked him to leave sometime before 6:30 a.m. Tuesday., according to court documents and the police arrest log.

Police arrested him, and prosecutors charged him with first-degree criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor, the following day.

The suspect made a court appearance via video call from a cell block on Wednesday, according to the court record. He was released and was scheduled to appear at Wahiawa District Court March 9 for the criminal trespassing charge.

Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said in a statement today that his office objected to the suspect’s release. “The Deputy Prosecutor handling the case made an informed decision based on the information available to him. His objection to releasing the defendant was made in the interest of public safety,” Alm said in the statement.

Police had also arrested him the night of Feb. 3 for criminal littering on Beretania Street, and prosecutors charged him with a misdemeanor on Feb. 10. He had been released on his own recognizance until his date in First Circuit Court on March 7.

A woman who shared the suspect’s last name filed domestic abuse lawsuits against him in 2016 and 2018, and the court issued a no-contact protective order against the suspect.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated when additional information becomes available.