2 suspects linked
to string of
burglariesPolice say they think they
have arrested the "pipe wrench
burglars"
Police say they may have solved a series of "pipe wrench" burglaries.
Two men charged Thursday night for two Chinatown burglaries are suspected to be the "pipe wrench burglars," who police say are responsible for well over 30 break-ins in Honolulu, Waikiki and East Honolulu.
"I'm hoping it was, so that it'll stop," said Lt. Mitch Kiyuna of the downtown Honolulu district. "It's hard to say for sure."
Kiyuna said since their arrest Monday night, the burglaries in his district have slowed down.
Duck Young Han, 21, who was charged in the Chinatown burglaries, was also arrested for burglaries and attempted burglaries in a Moiliili condominium building. Police released Han, pending investigation, in those cases.
The "pipe wrench burglars" are so dubbed for leaving a wrench mark on doorknobs of businesses and apartments they have broken into.
Burglars have also broken in by cutting screens and removing louvers in other, possibly related incidents.
Kiyuna said the two suspects, Han and Chi Duc Hieu Tran, 23, have not been previously arrested for any Chinatown burglaries.
In burglaries and attempts at the Crystal Park condominium in Moiliili, burglars cut screens and removed jalousies.
Police will be comparing the suspects' fingerprints to see if they match any found at other burglaries, he said.
In Waikiki, three hotels and two condominiums were hit between Jan. 26 and Feb. 4 in 24 similar incidents.
Police said hotel rooms and apartments were entered using a pipe wrench or similar tool to twist the doorknobs open in 12 reported cases.
Police also found pipe wrench-like marks on 12 other Waikiki hotel rooms and apartments in failed attempts, which went unreported.
"We have not tied in the District 1 (downtown Honolulu) suspects to the Waikiki cases, although they are suspected to be linked," said Lt. Alan Kubota, who heads the Waikiki Burglary Theft Detail.
Han and Tran were charged on two counts of second-degree burglary for breaking into two offices at 111 N. King St.
In those incidents, police said, a maintenance worker for an office building noticed that an upper-floor office had been forcibly entered, between 6 and 10:45 p.m.
Two men were seen running out of the first-floor lobby, police said. The suspects were caught and arrested at Smith and North Beretania streets after an all-points bulletin was issued.
Police recovered an item taken from one of the offices in the pocket of one of the suspects.
Jewelry and cash were often the items of choice in the Chinatown cases.
Kiyuna said the pipe-wrench method was used about eight or more years ago.
"It's nothing new," he said. "It's quick. They don't have to worry about prying."
But success is not guaranteed every time.
To foil would-be burglars, Kiyuna recommends using a deadbolt locked with a key rather than a latch, and securing jalousie louvers with locks and lanai doors with broomsticks.
"It's not foolproof, but it'll hinder them," he said.
In one building, "only those apartments without deadbolts were hit," Kiyuna said.
He also recommends watching out for neighbors and notifying security or police if unfamiliar people are loitering in the neighborhood.
He also warns not to judge people solely by appearance.
"Some of these guys are very well-groomed," he said. "They watch TV, too."
