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POSTED: Friday, December 19, 2008

WAIKIKI

Neighbor injured in third-floor fire

A well-intentioned neighbor was injured yesterday after rushing into a burning Waikiki apartment only to find nobody home.

The man suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to a hospital for observation, fire officials said.

The fire at 1868 Kahakai Drive behind the Hawaii Convention Center was caused by a malfunctioning clock radio mounted under a cabinet in the kitchen, according to Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Terry Seelig.

The blaze, in a third-floor unit of the four-story Commodore Apartments, began in the kitchen before 1:35 p.m. It caused an estimated $60,000 damage — $45,000 to the structure and $15,000 to the unit's contents, Seelig said.

About 15 firefighters helped bring the fire under control by 1:45 p.m., and it was extinguished shortly afterward.

The two people who live in the apartment were not home at the time of the fire. The Red Cross was called to assist the residents.

Regarding the neighbor who rushed into the burning unit, Seelig warned against running into a room filled with smoke. While good intentions are appreciated, he said, a person can quickly be overcome by smoke. He said if you can't control a fire quickly, call for help.

 

Teen arrested in store robbery

Police arrested a 15-year-old boy who allegedly robbed a Waikiki store Wednesday night.

Police said that at about 7:30 p.m., the suspect took items without paying from a 49-year-old man's store. Police said the store owner tried to stop the boy, who struggled with the man and fled.

Police found the boy nearby and arrested him on suspicion of second-degree robbery.

 

CENTRAL OAHU

Soldier arrested in murder attempt

Police arrested a 20-year-old Schofield Barracks soldier Wednesday night on suspicion of second-degree attempted murder of a 5-month-old baby girl in Wahiawa on Dec. 8.

Police said the man is an acquaintance of the family.

Police said the infant's mother took the child to a Wahiawa hospital with suspicious injuries. The alleged murder attempt occurred sometime between 5:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Dec. 8, police said.

The soldier was being held at the main police station cellblock last night, and had not yet been charged.

 

LEEWARD OAHU

Girlfriend accuses boyfriend of attack

A 21-year-old man accused of choking his girlfriend surrendered to police this week.

On Dec. 8, the suspect and his 18-year-old girlfriend argued at their Aiea home regarding her school, police said. The suspect allegedly choked the woman, then left.

The woman reported the incident to police, and the suspect turned himself in Wednesday night. He was arrested on suspicion of felony abuse.

 

HONOLULU

Suspect caught in bar robbery

Police caught a robbery suspect Wednesday night who was one of two men who allegedly robbed the Leilani Lounge on Nov. 10.

Police arrested Bronson McShane at 6:41 p.m. Wednesday at 2303 Ala Wai Blvd.

Police said the two men who entered the Leilani Lounge at 1219 Keeaumoku St. and one of the men was armed with a shotgun.

A patron and the owner were assaulted in the robbery. The men allegedly fled with the cash register.

 

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Man pulled into wood chipper dies

WAILUKU » A worker due to retire soon died yesterday after being pulled head-first into a wood chipper in west Maui.

Alfredo Sarian, 63, of Lahaina was found stuck in a commercial wood chipper by fellow workers who heard him yell, acting Sgt. Tanya K.M. Dods said.

Dods said Sarian, who was operating the wood chipper in the area of Olowalu Landing, tried to grab a branch within the wood chipper and was pulled into the machine.

Sarian had been working with West Maui Land Co. for seven years and was expected to retire this month, Dods said. He had worked for Pioneer Mill for 18 years.

Police officers were called to the scene at 8:38 a.m. yesterday.

Sarian is survived by his wife, Esther; two sons; brothers, sisters and grandchildren.

 

Maui father charged in son's killing

WAILUKU » A Kahului man was charged yesterday in the fatal shooting of his son.

Joe D. Antonio, 45, faces a second-degree murder charge and is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Antonio allegedly shot his 19-year-old son Jose Jr. after a dispute about housekeeping issues escalated into a physical conflict at the family's suburban cottage in Kahului on Tuesday night, police said.

Antonio's initial court appearance, delayed yesterday, was scheduled for this afternoon.

 

Suspects sought in robbery attempt

Big Island police are looking for two men wanted in an attempted robbery Tuesday in Puna.

Just before midnight, a 25-year-old Puna man was parked at the post office boxes near the top of Paradise Drive in Hawaiian Paradise Park when two unknown men accosted him, police said.

Both suspects fled when another vehicle approached. One suspect is described as in his late teens to early 20s, and was wearing a black T-shirt and black cap. The other wore a mask to conceal his identity.

The victim did not sustain injuries. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (808) 935-3311.

 

Hilo police seek theft suspect

Hilo detectives are looking for a 55-year-old man in connection with the theft of a pickup truck that was found in flames last week along the Puna coastline.

Police are asking for help in finding Scott Slingo, who is described as 6 feet 1 inch tall. Police found the truck Saturday, less than a mile north of Mackenzie Park.

The pickup truck was taken from a North Hilo home, police said.

Police ask anyone with information about this case call Detective Paul Fukuda at 961-2381 or the police non-emergency line at 935-3311. Anonymous tipsters may call CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.