Judge hears van
hijacking account

One of four visitors in a Dolphin's Excursion tour van that was hijacked from Kahe Point Beach Park last month said the hijacker threatened to stab him with a knife if he did not comply with his demands.

Anthony F. Lopez: The Colorado resident recalls he and three girls were "terrorized"

Anthony F. Lopez of Fort Collins, Colo., testified yesterday in District Court at the preliminary hearing of Ricky Kainoa Kenui, 35, who is charged with first-degree robbery and auto theft in the Jan. 18 incident.

"He said, 'I will stab you if you don't leave your ... stuff alone,'" Lopez testified. He identified Kenui, wearing a blue paper jumpsuit, as the man who took over the van and threatened him with a rusted 8- or 9-inch fillet knife.

The van had stopped at Kahe Point Beach Park, and four adults, including the driver, stepped off to catch a glimpse of dolphins. Lopez and three girls, ages 10 and younger, remained in the van, with its engine running, when a man jumped into the driver's seat and drove off with them still inside.

"We were terrorized," Lopez said during questioning by Deputy Public Defender Walter Rodby.

Lopez asked the driver who he was, what he was doing and to stop the van. But the man ignored Lopez, who realized they were in trouble. One of the girls began to cry, he said.

Lopez said he began to slowly unzip a small bag that contained his cell phone, hoping he could dial 911 and press "talk" so that someone could hear what was happening or trace their location.

That was when Kenui threatened him, pointing the knife at him, Lopez testified.

Lopez said he tried to negotiate repeatedly with the man, saying he could have all their belongings if he let them all go. Finally, the man, who had been weaving in and out of traffic and looking into his rearview mirror, brought the van to a skidding stop and ordered them to get out but to leave their belongings behind.

Lopez said he saw a midsize blue car stop behind them and a man in an oversize shirt come out. "I thought he was a good Samaritan come to help," Lopez said.

Next thing he knew, he was hit from behind, his shirt torn, and he was thrown into shrubbery, apparently by the man in the blue car, he testified.

The girls got out of the van and stood behind Lopez, he said. The two men then left in the vehicles.

District Judge Leslie Hayashi sent the case to Circuit Court for trial. Kenui will be arraigned Feb. 14. He remains in custody in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Victor Lozano, owner of Dolphin Excursion Inc., said tour companies generally leave their vehicles running to keep the air conditioning on for the passengers who remain in the van. But after this incident, his drivers are no longer allowed to do so, he said.