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Smash-and-grab Honolulu police are looking for a couple of smash-and-grab burglars who have been using everything from power tools to a utility pole to break into Honolulu shops this week.
burglars hit
Oahu shops
Police are seeking information
that could lead to arrestsBy Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comPolice believe the two suspects hit the Pro Am Golf Store at 1159 Kapiolani Ave. yesterday and three businesses including Turbo Surf Hawaii at 870 Kapahulu Ave. on Tuesday.
"We can't say for sure that these are the same guys, but their method of entry is almost exactly the same in two of the cases," said CrimeStoppers Coordinator Letha DeCaires. "In both the Pro Am and Turbo Surf burglaries, stolen trucks were backed up into the storefront in order to break in."
Video from a surveillance camera at Pro Am showed a pickup truck reversing into the store's safety glass with a 12-foot-long utility pole that functioned as a battering ram sticking out from the bed. The attack was recorded at 3:30 a.m.
Despite ramming the glass several times, the suspects were unable to shatter it.
The suspects then get out of the truck and are seen elbowing a hole into the glass, running into the store and then running out again, each carrying a golf bag filled with what appeared to be about 30 golf clubs. Pro Am employees estimated value of the bags and clubs at close to $10,000.
Sometime between 2 and 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said, two suspects used a stolen Dodge truck to smash open the front doors of Turbo Surf Hawaii, then jumped out and took an estimated $9,000 to $10,000 worth of surf clothes, boards, sunglasses and other merchandise.
Shortly before the Turbo Surf Shop burglary, police said, the suspects were upstairs in the same building, cut a hole into the wall of Gold Design Hawaii using power tools and stole $1,700 in display jewelry. Police said the suspects also broke into the offices of Subway and may have attempted to steal or break into a company safe.
Police said they recovered the truck used in the Kapahulu burglaries yesterday in front of Washington Intermediate School in McCully. Police also recovered the truck used in the Pro Am burglary but only identified the area in which they found the truck as Honolulu.
The face of one of the suspects was caught on the Pro Am surveillance video yesterday. He is described as in his 20s, 5 feet 9 inches, with dark hair, a mustache, light beard and a heavy build. He was last seen wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, jacket, T-shirt and board shorts.
Suspect No. 2 is described as also in his 20s, 5 feet 9 inches, with a medium to heavy build. He was last seen wearing jeans and shoes, and had a T-shirt over his head. Police said it appears that one or both of the suspects may have been wearing clothes that were stolen from Turbo Surf.
"We're asking the public to be aware that these suspects may attempt to sell or trade these stolen goods and that they should be on the lookout for them," said DeCaires. "Information from pawnshop owners, stores that sell used sporting goods, even those who shop at the swap meet could see something that helps us with this case."
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Rodney Noguchi directly at 547-7212. Anonymous calls may also be made to CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 and *CRIME on a cellular phone.