Police shooting
may have targeted
Kaneohe escapee

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By Rod Antone
Star-Bulletin

Honolulu police believe that an escapee from the Hawaii State Hospital in Kaneohe may be the robbery suspect who was shot at by police in Kahala this weekend. Police said Leonard Moore was spotted in the Waialae-Kahala area in the past week and may be involved in other criminal activities in the area.

Moore last escaped through a state hospital window on April 7 by throwing a television through the glass. Moore had previously escaped on March 28 by throwing a wooden table through another window but was arrested several days later.

In the Kahala incident, patrol officers told investigators that they spotted a person matching Moore's description at Aukai Avenue near Hakaka Street between 3 and 4 a.m. Saturday. Police said the suspect lost control of the stolen car he was driving and then crashed.

Police chased the suspect up a flight of stairs at a construction site nearby. The officer who chased the suspect first lost sight of him, but police said the officer then spotted the suspect again.

Police said the officer ordered the suspect to drop the weapon but that the suspect kept advancing. The officer then fired two shots, which police believe did not hit the suspect.

Police also said that the suspect never fired back. The suspect escaped wearing what was described as a long-sleeved shirt and carrying a black bag.

Moore is the suspect in several other auto theft cases in the area, according to investigators. He is described as 6 feet 3 inches tall, 185 pounds, with a shaved head, dark complexion and a 6-inch scar on his left forearm.

A state judge sent Moore to the state hospital so doctors could determine if he was mentally fit to stand trial for an auto theft case last year.

Anyone with information about Moore's whereabouts or this case is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *Crime on a cellular phone.