Witnesses ID suspect
in bank attack

An arraignment for Richard
Elstner is scheduled for Dec. 10

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By Treena Shapiro
tshapiro@starbulletin.com

Richard G. Elstner set his Mercedes-Benz on fire in a downtown intersection and sprayed a fire extinguisher in the air before entering the main branch of Bank of Hawaii on Friday, two witnesses testified yesterday.

Police officer Dayle Morita testified that when Elstner was asked if he owned the burning car, "he just stated, 'I set my car on fire.'"

After the preliminary hearing, District Judge I. Norman Lewis ruled there was probable cause to send the case to Circuit Court, and scheduled an arraignment for Dec. 10.

Elstner is charged with reckless endangering, a Class C felony punishable by a maximum five-year sentence.

He is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Jeffrey Feland, who called the Fire and Police departments, testified that he had been standing on the Diamond Head corner of Bishop and South King streets Friday afternoon when he saw Elstner's gold Mercedes parked at an angle in the middle of the intersection.

At first, Elstner was "moving frantically" inside the car, then flames broke out on the driver's seat and, two to three seconds later, Elstner got out of the car, Feland said.

Elstner then went to the trunk and took out a fire extinguisher and a bag, Feland said.

"Instead of him extinguishing the fire in his car, he walked straight toward Bank of Hawaii and shot it (the fire extinguisher) straight up in the air," he said.

Feland testified that Elstner sprayed the fire extinguisher back and forth but did not aim it at any people.

He said the only thing he was afraid of was the fire in the car because "maybe the car could explode if it hit the gas tank."