A 43-year-old man was charged with multiple crimes after allegedly driving a stolen van into a Manoa home, causing damage estimated at more than $5 million, and breaking the shoulder of a Honolulu Police Department officer who was trying to arrest him Sunday, according to state court records.
Savan Lokomaiki Tuazon was charged Tuesday with first-degree attempted assault, first-degree unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, first-degree criminal property damage and first-
degree assault against a law enforcement officer.
At the time of Sunday’s incident, he was out on bail for allegedly stealing a black 2013 Lexus on Dec. 28 and has more than 61 prior arrests and citations, according to court records.
Tuazon’s bail in this latest case was set at $1 million, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for today.
The injured HPD officer was transported to The Queen’s Medical Center where he underwent surgery for a fractured left scapula, according to court records.
HPD Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan on Wednesday said this is “the second incident this month in which a known criminal attempted to evade arrest, posing great danger to the community.”
In the first Opens in a new tab, a 25-year-old Ewa Beach man was charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer after allegedly running over
a police officer’s leg during
a traffic stop July 2 in Ewa Beach.
Referring to Sunday’s incident, Logan said, “Three days ago, a suspect hit another car, drove through a driveway gate and crashed into a garage wall while trying to get away from officers. These incidents show the dangerous nature of police work and the dynamic circumstances that officers face every day.
“We are grateful that no bystanders were hurt and that all of our officers are expected to fully recover from their injuries.”
Court records describe the sequence of events leading to the mayhem in Manoa, starting Friday when an HPD Crime Reduction Unit officer making checks of commercial establishments in Manoa allegedly saw
Tuazon enter the construction site of Manoa Mart on East Manoa Road. “The
male stayed within the
site for approximately one hour. During that time, he turned on and attempted
to move the construction equipment,” according to an affidavit by a CRU officer.
Tuazon was allegedly seen getting into a van but officers lost track of it.
Then around 5 a.m. Sunday, a CRU officer driving westbound on Vancouver Drive saw the E-350 van, which had fake plates and was stolen from a tow yard July 12, parked on the mauka side of the street just before Alekoki Place, according to court records.
The officer parked his car, got out and walked toward the van, where Tuazon was described as “seated in the driver seat with his head slumped forward.”
Members of HPD’s District 7 Crime Reduction Unit “strategically approached” the parked van a few minutes later. One of the officers tried to open the driver’s door but it was locked and the keyhole was missing, court records said.
After another officer opened the front passenger door, “Tuazon became conscious and aware of the officers presence.” Officers gave “multiple commands to Tuazon to show his hands” and he initially complied and put his hands on the steering wheel.
One officer got into the van to get the suspect out when two others “observed Tuazon remove his hands from the steering wheel,” according to court records. He was again told not to reach for anything “but Tuazon failed to obey orders.”
He allegedly told the officers, “Watch this, I got you,” then started the van and “accelerated forward at a high rate of speed” with a police officer “partially hanging out of the front
passenger side door.”
The court records said Tuazon drove directly toward an unmarked police vehicle in an attempt to sideswipe the passenger door the police officer was hanging on to. The officer managed “to pull himself further into the cab” of the van to avoid being crushed between the two vehicles.
Tuazon continued driving through the front gate of the Vancouver Drive house, crashing into the garage and the home itself, according to court records. He reportedly sustained injuries from the collision and was taken to a hospital “where he was treated and cleared to remain in police custody,” HPD said.
The homeowner told
police the incident caused $300,000 damage to the gate, $4.7 million damage to his garage and house, and $195,000 combined damage to a 2021 Bentley Continental and 2021 BMW X6.
