City is sued in The city knew that former police officer Clyde Arakawa had a history of alcohol problems but failed to treat or discipline him, say the parents of 19-year-old Dana Ambrose, who was killed in an accident caused by Arakawa.
Ambrose’s death
The Ambrose family says the city
knew of Arakawa’s problemsStar-Bulletin staff
Because of the city's negligence, Ambrose suffered fatal injuries in the Oct. 7, 2000, crash at Pali Highway and School Street, according to the lawsuit filed against the city yesterday by her parents, Rollie and Susan Ambrose.
The lawsuit seeks damages in an amount to be determined at trial.
Arakawa was sentenced to 20 years in prison in April after a jury convicted him of reckless manslaughter for causing the waitress's death.
He had been drinking for seven hours and was driving at excessive speed up Pali Highway in his 1993 Thunderbird when he ran a red light and struck Ambrose's car, pushing it into a concrete pillar.
The suit accuses city officials of negligence for continuing to subsidize Arakawa's 1993 Thunderbird despite knowledge of his alcoholism.
The suit also accuses the city of failing to preserve evidence, perform tests and extending the off-duty officer special treatment following the crash.
City officials could not be reached for comment.
Trial in a lawsuit filed earlier against Arakawa by the Ambroses is pending.
City & County of Honolulu
Honolulu Police Department
