A 34-year-old Hilo man was arrested Wednesday in Hilo on warrants, including one alleging he attempted to run over a police officer in a pickup truck 2 1/2 years ago.
Bronson Amaral is charged with first-degree attempted assault of a police officer, illegally carrying a loaded firearm and ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm on a public roadway, second-degree theft, unauthorized possession of confidential personal information and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm.
Four of the firearms charges are Class B felonies that carry a potential 10-year prison sentence.
According to court documents filed by police, at about 1 a.m. on July 6, 2021, Officer Jonathan Masutani pulled over a black Dodge pickup bearing license plates that didn’t match the truck on Old Onomea Road near Highway 19 in Papaikou.
Masutani informed Amaral that he had two outstanding arrest warrants for violating probation on a felon in possession of a firearm conviction in 2019.
Amaral allegedly put the truck in reverse and hit the gas pedal with Masutani still within the vehicle’s open door, causing Masutani to jump backwards in self-defense, and made his escape.
Police recovered the truck a day later, but Amaral was still at large, according to the documents.
Amaral was reportedly spotted Jan. 10 driving a white Hyundai Santa Fe sport-utility vehicle, which police recovered on Anuenue Street in the Kaiwiki neighborhood of Hilo.
Amaral allegedly fled on foot into a thicket, but was arrested later at a Pono Street residence about 150 yards away.
Searches of Amaral and the truck reportedly yielded a loaded .22 caliber Sears rifle with a sawed-off butt-stock and threaded muzzle, ammunition and a wallet with ID and credit cards Amaral allegedly stole from a man he met Jan. 7 through the Grindr dating app.
Amaral made his initial appearance Friday in Hilo District Court.
Judge Kanani Laubach denied a defense motion to free Amaral on supervised release — a form of cashless bail — and maintained his bail at $313,000. She also ordered Amaral to appear for a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
Amaral remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correcitonal Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.
