A stolen car being pursued by police crashed Thursday afternoon, killing two people and prompting the closure of Mohouli Street for more than four hours. ADVERTISING A stolen car being pursued by police crashed Thursday afternoon, killing two people and
A stolen car being pursued by police crashed Thursday afternoon, killing two people and prompting the closure of Mohouli Street for more than four hours.
Police said they received a call at 12:45 p.m. from a man who reported his car had been stolen from Kekaulike Street in downtown Hilo and that his friend had been asleep in the car before it was stolen and was possibly abducted by the alleged car thief.
Officers stopped the car at the intersection of Kaumana Drive and the Mohouli Extension. Police said when the officer got out of his car to approach the stolen sedan, the car sped away, turning south onto the Mohouli Extension.
The officer returned to his car, followed the stolen vehicle, lost sight of it momentarily and then encountered two crashed sedans, police said.
“Apparently (he) lost control of the car at a high rate of speed, started to spin out and struck an oncoming vehicle,” police Sgt. Lorenzo Artienda of Hilo Patrol said early Thursday evening.
The stolen vehicle overturned after striking the other sedan, police said.
The collision reportedly occurred at about 1:45 p.m., and police closed a portion of Mohouli until about 6:30 p.m.
A man and a woman in the stolen car were both dead at the scene. Police had not identified them as of Thursday evening. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
The sole occupant of the other car, a 39-year-old Keaau woman, was taken to Hilo Medical Center in critical condition. Her name was not disclosed.
Police later learned that the male friend of the stolen car’s owner managed to get out of the car after the alleged thief got into the car and took control of it.
Three investigations have been opened. One is a Hilo Traffic Enforcement Unit investigation into the crash itself.
The auto theft is being investigated by the Hilo Criminal Investigations Section. An administrative review is also being conducted, as is standard policy in any police pursuit.
Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call the police non-emergency line at 935-3311, Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 or to contact Acting Lt. Grant Todd at 961-2385 or grant.todd@hawaiicounty.gov.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
