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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
Icy morning
in Honolulu>> H-3
As he upshifted and cranked the throttle wide open in hot pursuit of the fleeing baby blue Honda, HPD solo bike officer Quinn Ah Sun called over his shoulder to the second Lama Jey Tsong Khapa: "You'll have to tell me later, your holiness, why I feel so at peace."
The young lama smiled beatifically behind his face shield, his right hand making the sign of turning the Dharma wheel, thumb and forefinger touching, the other three fingers raised, the left hand making the sign of meditating turning the Dharma wheel, cupped just below the navel, thumb curling into the palm -- perhaps the first time in the history of American criminal justice that a high-speed chase was conducted in such a fashion.
Quinn toggled a switch for the pop-up blue light built into this red replica of the BMW he rode on the job as the police radio crackled.
"All units," the dispatcher said, "black SUV and baby blue Honda speeding up H-3 Kaneohe-bound at a high rate of speed, exchanging gunfire. Stop and apprehend."
Quinn keyed the microphone built into his helmet, identified himself.
"Little late, Gwen, shooting's over. SUV flipped at the H-3 tunnels plaza, I'm guessing three dead inside. The Honda pulled a U-ey, back to town -- one of those street racers -- I'm in pursuit --," Quinn glanced down, "-- doing 105 and counting."
Several officers were at that moment speeding toward the housing unit on the banks of Pearl Harbor where a double murder had been committed just minutes before by the occupants of the SUV, and changed directions.
Keeping out of shooting range, Quinn stayed with the Honda to the Halawa interchange and the H-1 exit heading ewa, providing running commentary for Gwen. Merging into traffic, he was pleased to see Robbie Robinson, the former UH pitcher, in a squad car and Quinn's solo bike buddy Hal Kalama waiting and taking up the pursuit with sirens blaring.
Quinn followed as the Honda took the Waimalu exit, but when it and the flashing blue lights went right, Quinn went left.
"He's all yours from here, guys," Quinn said. "Good luck."
Soon they were back on the H-1, town-bound.
"Why are we turning around?" the young lama said, clearly disappointed.
"For health purposes. Plus it's lunch time. My wife should already be at Khan's home." Lily would be preparing a vegetarian meal for the lama.
They listened on the radio as a growing number of officers chased the Honda through the residential streets of Pearl City, finally running it over a fire hydrant and into a fence near the entrance to Pearl City High School.
After a brief shootout, with their ammunition expended, the two men in the Honda tried to flee but were quickly captured and cuffed.
Seven dead, two jailed. Just another "icy" morning in Honolulu.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek. His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin. He can be e-mailed at dchapman@midweek.com