Police are looking for a man who tried to rob a woman at a drive-through automated teller machine and in the process bit the woman on her hand. Man bites woman
in robbery attemptPolice seek a suspect in the Aug. 28
attempt at Bank of HawaiiBy Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.comThe 26-year-old woman, who wishes to be identified only by her first name, Wendy, had just withdrawn $100 at the Bank of Hawaii Ward Plaza branch at 210 Ward Ave. at about 6:45 p.m. Aug. 28.
She had to open her car door to reach the ATM. After she withdrew money, she said, she became frightened when she saw a man approaching her.
"So I tried to close my door, tried to get my parking brake and the shift gear to drive, but I didn't have enough time," she said.
Police said the man grabbed Wendy and demanded she withdraw $500. She refused, so the man tried to take the money she had in her right hand, wrestling with her in her car through the driver's window. She said the man locked his teeth on her hand to get her to release the cash.
"He broke skin with some blood on the side, but it wasn't injured," she said.
The man released her hand after she scratched him behind his left ear, she said.
She received a tetanus shot and had herself tested for tuberculosis and hepatitis. She is also being tested for HIV, but the chief of the state Health Department's STD/HIV Prevention Branch said biting is not a major form of transmission and that there have been no cases of HIV transmission through biting in Hawaii.
Wendy said she then exited the car from the front passenger door. The man ran around the car and confronted her, asking for the money and threatening to take her car. Wendy, who had dropped the money on the car floor, said she told the man she did not have the money.
She said the man then hopped on a bicycle and took off in the Diamond Head direction on Auahi Street. The whole incident was recorded by the ATM's surveillance camera.
Wendy said she yelled for help during the robbery attempt, but nobody came to her aid. She said she is disappointed that no security officers appeared for the two hours she remained on the scene while police and an ambulance were there.
The bank is a lessee of Victoria Ward Centers, which provides security on its property. No one from the center was available for comment.
The suspect is described as in his 20s, with black wavy hair and a tan complexion. He is about 5-foot-6, 140 to 150 pounds. He was wearing a dark blue T-shirt, black shorts and a backpack. Anyone with information is asked to call Honolulu police or CrimeStoppers.