LIHUE — The men charged with robbing the Kapaa Bank of Hawaii at gunpoint appeared in Fifth Circuit Court Tuesday. Brandon Lee Hartberg, 26, and Matthew Akihiko Rose, 27, were arraigned on charges of robbery in the first degree, terroristic
LIHUE — The men charged with robbing the Kapaa Bank of Hawaii at gunpoint appeared in Fifth Circuit Court Tuesday.
Brandon Lee Hartberg, 26, and Matthew Akihiko Rose, 27, were arraigned on charges of robbery in the first degree, terroristic threatening in the first degree and theft in the second degree. The two waived oral readings of their charges.
A preliminary hearing to determine probable cause is scheduled for both men at 1 p.m. Thursday before District Court Judge Trudy Senda.
The public defender’s office declared a conflict for Hartberg and Rose. Melinda Mendes was appointed as Hartberg’s attorney. Rose’s family retained Michael Green, a criminal defense attorney on Oahu.
The robbery, which occurred New Year’s Eve Thursday, took only a matter of minutes, according to reports.
Police reports said the men orchestrated the robbery after one man owed the other money, and that Bank of Hawaii was not their first choice bank.
During an interview with police, Hartberg told police that he “did not mastermind the bank robbery, but did voluntarily agree to rob the bank,” according to KPD reports.
He then told police where to find the money and gave them a walk-through of the robbery, reports said.
Rose was not cooperative and “appeared to be extremely deceptive during his interview,” police said in their reports. He did not admit to the bank robbery and said he was not aware of the robbery, reports said.
According to detectives, Hartberg entered through the back door and walked up to a teller with a rifle and demanded money. Police said the teller handed the suspect “an unknown amount of cash, believed to be approximately $1,000.”
A witness said he heard the suspect shout, “put the money in the bag!”
Police said the suspect’s rifle was wrapped in a towel, but the end of the barrel was clearly visible.
A video surveillance photo captured the suspect’s face, who police are saying is Hartberg, without a mask, wearing only sunglasses and a hoodie. In the image, the suspect can be seen grabbing what appears to be cash. A white bag is also in the frame.
The suspect then fled through the back door in an unknown direction, according to the report.
Hartberg told police he ran to Rose’s vehicle that was parked on Lehua Street by Hoku Foods.
The manhunt for the assailant, which started shortly after police were called onto the scene at 10:40 a.m., ended almost as abruptly as it began, according to police reports. KPD arrested Hartberg at 1:07 p.m. and Rose at 1:10 p.m., less than three hours after the alleged robbery.
An aerial search helped about 20 KPD officers on foot canvass the surrounding areas of Kapaa Town.
Around 12:30 p.m., two officers onboard the Air 1 noticed a suspicious green sedan leaving the Kapaa County Cemetery on Kanaele Road. The helicopter monitored the car as it made its way toward Kealia, then back toward Kapaa, a release said.
According to the police report, the individual in the car was trying to flee from police after he caught sight of the helicopter above his car.
Patrol officers were then called in to stop the car and detain two men who were in the car, Hartberg and Rose, for identification and questioning, the report said.
Police went back to the cemetery and found a dark colored hoodie, like the one worn by the suspect in the robbery. They also found an air rifle wrapped in a towel, which matched the description of the gun used in the robbery, the report said.
