State senator, 5 students
hurt in crash with thief

A suspected car thief injured a state senator and five high school basketball players Tuesday when he crashed a stolen car into their van near Waipahu High School.

Sen. Bob Hogue (R, Kailua-Kaneohe), who coaches the boys varsity basketball team at Academy of the Pacific, said he and his players were on their way to play a pre-season game at Waipahu District Park Gym when a silver Acura crossed the grassy median along Farrington Highway and rammed into his Nissan Quest van about 5 p.m.

Hogue said the collision happened so fast he had no time to do anything but slam on the brakes.

"It was almost like a scene from a movie, with that car careening out of control," Hogue said. "I could see the guy's face in the microseconds before the accident, and he was trying to overcorrect and get out of his spin. And then there was a painful impact and it was over, and I turned to the boys and asked if everybody was OK."

Hogue said some of the players suffered a few facial lacerations but were otherwise OK.

Later, however, everyone in the van was taken to the Queen's Medical Center for treatment as a precaution.

"I had some injuries to my knees, cuts to the head and some back pain," said Hogue. "But everybody was OK. ... In fact, the boys all still wanted to play our game against Lanakila Baptist, but of course we didn't."

Police said the driver of the car that hit Hogue's van faces auto theft charges when he is caught. Hogue said he remembers very little about the driver except that there were people yelling at him after the collision.

"I heard someone yell, 'He's getting away! Chase him!'" Hogue said. "But I didn't even look.

"That was the last thing on my mind, whether the guy who hit us was a thief or not. ... I just wanted to know if everybody was OK."