Woman stops car The mother of a 23-year-old man whose car was stolen last week put a stop to the same thieves later breaking into their Salt Lake home using his house keys.
thieves from
breaking into home
Police are still looking for 2 men
who stole her son's car from
a Waikiki parking lotBy Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.com"Cindy," who does not want her last name used out of fear of retaliation, said she was at her Doris Miller Park home on Feb. 22 when she heard someone unlock her front door and call out her son's name.
"He called out the name like he wasn't sure who it was, almost like he was questioning it," said Cindy, who was home recovering from a hernia operation at the time. "And I knew something was wrong. I knew my son would never allow anyone keys into my home or allow someone to walk freely into my home."
Honolulu police and CrimeStoppers are asking for the public's help in locating the car and the suspects. They said Cindy's son's car was stolen from a parking service at 2301 Kuhio Ave., where her son parks when he goes to work in Waikiki. She said police are still investigating exactly how the car was stolen.
Cindy said the person was halfway though the door when she yelled, "My son's not home, and you're not supposed to have his keys. Give me those keys." After that, Cindy said, the suspect took off running.
Cindy said the only reason she ran after him is because she thought the worst.
"I thought: 'Oh my God, they've got my son's keys. Oh my God, he's dead.'"
Cindy said she saw the suspect run into her son's gold Saturn, which was parked in front of her next-door neighbor's house, and dove in after him before he could shut the driver's-side door.
Cindy said while she tried to get the keys out of the ignition, the suspect punched her head and upper torso again and again.
Cindy said the suspect managed to start the car and was moving forward despite her struggling when she noticed a man in the passenger's seat holding a knife. She said the man never said a word and just looked at her.
"He never flinched, he just held the knife," she said.
Then she said she noticed that the suspect was trying to steer the car toward a tree to "smash" her off. That's when she finally decided to let go.
"At that point I realized there was nothing I could do," she said. "They headed toward Nimitz Highway, and that's the last I saw of them."
Suspect No. 1, the one who entered the house and drove the car, is described as in his mid-20s, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing about 200 pounds and with a muscular build.
He has black hair, dark-colored bloodshot eyes, has a dark complexion and was clean-shaven, police said. He was last seen wearing a dark T-shirt and dark pants.
Suspect No. 2, the passenger of the car who held the knife, is described as in his mid-20s, with a thin build and bleached orange hair with dark roots and white tips. He is also described as having a fair complexion and being clean-shaven. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and light-colored shorts.
The stolen vehicle the suspects were in is described as a gold 1994 Saturn with license plate number GWB 962. It also has a black leather covering on the front grille and a "very loud and expensive" stereo system, according to Cindy.
Anyone with information about this case may call Special Agent Rocco Pierri directly at 474-1218, ext. 231. Anonymous calls also may be made to CrimeStoppers at 955-8300, *CRIME on a cellular phone.
Cindy, who is still bruised on her face, abdomen and legs, warns that if someone recognizes either the car or the suspects that they call police immediately and not get involved directly.
"These men are violent. They have weapons, and they have no regard for human life," she said. "They just didn't care."