Police are trying to piece together the details of a Friday night incident in Hawaiian Beaches in which a pedestrian disappeared after apparently being struck by an SUV whose driver collapsed at the scene and died later that night.
Capt. Rio Amon-Wilkins of the East Hawaii Criminal Investigation Division identified the decedent as 53-year-old Ryan Ka‘awaloa of Pahoa.
Police say that shortly after 9:30 p.m., Ka‘awaloa was driving his green Chevrolet SUV makai on Kahakai Boulevard and apparently stuck a pedestrian near the corner of Kaku Street.
“He immediately stopped his vehicle upon striking this pedestrian,” Amon-Wilkins told the Tribune-Herald on Wednesday. “And according to witnesses at the scene, there was some type of altercation between Ka‘awaloa and either the person he struck or someone else or, possibly, multiple individuals — that is unclear. “
The pedestrian left the area prior to the arrival of police. According to witness statements, the pedestrian is believed to be a young local male, wearing a white T-shirt and gold chain, with brown curly hair. He reportedly left in a black full-sized pickup truck, possibly a Nissan.
“We do believe that he was injured in the incident — obviously, not to a point where he couldn’t leave the scene before police got there,” Amon-Wilkins said.
According to Amon-Wilkins, when officers arrived, Ka‘awaloa was conscious.
“He was leaning up against his vehicle,” Amon-Wilkins said. “There weren’t any immediate signs of him being assaulted, at that point. He immediately complained to officers of experiencing chest pains. Pretty quickly, he collapsed to the ground and became unresponsive.”
Amon-Wilkins said officers began lifesaving measures on Ka‘awaloa, including CPR and use of an automatic external defibrillator, until Hawaii Fire Department medical personnel arrived. Ka‘awaloa was transported to the Hilo Medical Center emergency room, where he was pronounced dead at 10:56.
According to Amon-Wilkins, Ka‘awaloa didn’t mention an altercation or assault prior to collapsing.
An autopsy has been performed, and according to Amon-Wilkins, the forensic pathologist is awaiting the results of “further testing and toxicology reports” before determining the exact cause and manner of death.
“However, the visible injuries on Ka‘awaloa did not appear to be life-threatening,” Amon-Wilkins added. Asked if heart disease was found, Amon-Wilkins said he wasn’t ready to discuss that yet.
“It’s a very tragic series of events, the entire incident. We’re hoping the autopsy results give us a little clearer picture of what happened,” he said.
Ka‘awaloa’s vehicle was processed by police, and there were personal belongings of value inside, “so there’s no indication that this was any type of robbery,” Amon-Wilkins said.
According to Amon-Wilkins, the investigations still open regarding the incident are classified as a traffic casualty, for the apparent striking of the pedestrian, and a coroner’s inquest into the cause of Ka‘awaloa’s death.
“It’s very important to us, obviously, to determine the cause and manner of death, which is what the pathologist is working on,” he said. “But it’s also important to us that we identify the pedestrian who was struck by the vehicle, to get a statement from them, also.
“We’re still working on some leads and following up on some initial interviews of witnesses, to try to determine who that person was. Like I said, it’s possible Ka‘awaloa was involved in an altercation with that one person (or) with multiple people. We really don’t know that at this point.”
Ka‘awaloa was well-known, having been both a radio and live-event disc jockey, as well as a local-circuit professional wrestler. KWXX-FM morning personality Ku‘ehu Mauga posted on Facebook that Ka‘awaloa was “the most gentle giant I’ve ever met.”
Speculation about what might have occurred also was rampant on the coconut wireless and the internet, with some posts containing the phrase “Justice for Ryan” or “Justice for Ryan’s ‘Ohana.”
Police ask anyone who may have information on the identity of the pedestrian in this case, or who may have witnessed this incident, to call the police department’s nonemergency number at (808) 935-3311, or Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
