Suspect allegedly rams police officer’s car
A man who allegedly drove a stolen pickup truck head-on into a Honolulu Police Department patrol car on Kahekili Highway was in custody last night facing an attempted murder charge.
The police officer, a nine-year veteran with the department, was released after treatment at Castle Medical Center.
Kahekili Highway traffic was shut down for more than two hours after the 12:50 p.m. incident at the "big dip" in the roadway between Haiku Road and Valley of the Temples cemetery. It was reopened at 3 p.m. in time for rush-hour traffic, according to police.
The incident began when a witness called police to report a vehicle being broken into at Kualoa Regional Park. The witness described the suspect leaving in a pickup truck.
Police said officers heading toward the scene with sirens blaring recognized the approaching truck, which pulled to the side of the road along with other vehicles.
When other officers approached the truck, the driver allegedly drove across the center line and rammed into the stopped police car. He was surrounded by other officers and arrested at the scene, police said.
Police determined that the pickup truck had been stolen several weeks earlier.
The suspect was treated at Castle Medical Center for minor injuries. He was held at the Kaneohe cellblock last night under investigation on charges that also include vehicle theft and unauthorized entry into a vehicle.