BARRY MARKOWITZ / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BULLETIN Police arrested Shannon Aalona yesterday after catching him in a backyard next to Hauula ElementarySchool. Police charged him with trespassing and said he is suspected in several Laie and Hauula home burglaries.

Fugitive caught
near Hauula school

Teachers quickly locked their
classroom doors as an HPD
helicopter hovered overhead

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By Susan Essoyan
sessoyan@starbulletin.com

Students at Hauula Elementary School were locked into their classrooms briefly yesterday morning when a man ran onto campus, trying to evade police who were chasing him by helicopter and car, authorities said.

A helicopter hovered overhead as the suspect fled to the back of the campus and into a back yard, where he was caught, according to Sgt. Dwayne Hironaka of the Kahuku police substation.

Police arrested Shannon Aalona, 26, who listed no local address, and charged him with trespassing at a Hauula home yesterday, police said.

He also has a criminal-contempt warrant outstanding for failing to appear in court, the sergeant said.

Police were following up on a report of an attempted burglary yesterday when they spotted Aalona, who took off on his bicycle and headed for the campus, Hironaka said. He was unarmed.

Aalona dropped his bike and ran onto the campus at 8:10 a.m., said Principal Bradley Odagiri, who immediately ordered a lockdown.

Teachers secured students in their classrooms.

Within 10 to 15 minutes, police arrested Aalona and the lockdown was lifted, the principal said.

"They were so fast," Odagiri said. "The helicopter was hovering over the campus, and police arrived on foot and by car."

Odagiri said the school practices lockdown drills regularly, and students were not upset by the incident.