Federal fugitive
dies in fiery crash

An early morning pursuit goes
from Waipahu to Mililani

The driver killed in a fiery crash at the end of a four-minute high-speed police chase yesterday in Mililani was a federal fugitive, according to federal law enforcement sources.

Corey Onaka: Wanted since March 4 for violating supervised release

The driver, Corey Yukio Onaka, 29, has been wanted since March 4 for violating supervised release. He was originally convicted of distributing crystal methamphetamine.

Police, however, would not release the driver's identity during a news conference yesterday, saying they did not have positive identification.

Because Onaka was driving a brand new 2005 Mazda RX-8 with temporary license plates, police had no way of determining who the registered owner was during the car chase.

"They're just running blind, basically," said acting Assistant Chief Douglas Miller of the Honolulu Police Department's Regional Patrol Bureau.

Miller said that from the vehicle identification number, police determined later the car had not been stolen, but had not yet established the owner's identity.

---

---

The pursuit began about midnight Monday after two patrol officers traveling toward town on Farrington Highway saw two cars traveling in the opposite direction slow to make an illegal U-turn across a grassy median near Waipahu High School, Miller said.

When Onaka made another U-turn and sped off in the direction he was originally headed in, the two officers in separate vehicles gave chase.

The car got onto the H-2 freeway and headed north. Onaka got off the freeway at the Mililani Mauka offramp, made another illegal turn and headed down Meheula Parkway.

The vehicle spun out, picked up speed, then turned into the center median, crashed into a tree and caught on fire, Miller said.

The crash occurred on Meheula Parkway near Kuahelani Avenue in Mililani. The debris hit a 2003 BMW sedan being driven by a 28-year-old woman, who was taken to an area hospital.

"There was no opportunity for them (pursuing officers) to intervene, unfortunately," Miller said. "Apparently, immediately upon impact, the vehicle burst into flames."

Police will conduct a thorough investigation of the pursuit by the two officers -- one a 14-year veteran, the other with five years of service.

Miller said police used sirens and lights during the chase at some point, but that would also be investigated.

One officer was driving a blue-and-white marked patrol car and the other, a subsidized private vehicle.

Miller said officers are allowed to pursue fleeing vehicles under certain guidelines, but must evaluate the risks and determine whether it is safe to pursue and must consider such factors as traffic and weather conditions.

Police want to question the driver of the other vehicle, a dark-colored four-door Acura Integra, that made the illegal U-turn in Waipahu.

---

.