LIHU‘E — A homicide suspect characterized as a “very seasoned criminal” took advantage of his knowledge of local law enforcement and surroundings to elude capture for days before a violent final confrontation with authorities sealed his fate.
Chris Santos, 48, was taken into custody on Sept. 17 at approximately 10 p.m. after he crashed the stolen vehicle he was driving while trying to outmaneuver a tactical team in the vicinity of Kekaha Beach Park.
Santos, who was shot during the showdown with law enforcement personnel, had been on the lam since he allegedly shot and killed Kith Silva-Lacro, 28, of Kalaheo, on Sept. 7. He also allegedly shot and wounded an unidentified female in the incident on Kahili Mountain Road.
Details of his arrest were laid out by Kaua‘i Police Department Chief Todd G. Raybuck during a press conference at department headquarters on Tuesday morning.
He said Santos was identified as the suspect in the shooting on Sept. 8, and an arrest warrant was issued on Sept. 10. Four days later, on Sept. 14, a grand jury indicted Santos on five charges, including Murder in the Second Degree and Attempted Murder in the First Degree.
“Violent criminals who have no regard for the law, have no concern about their actions, are willing to do violent things without consideration of the consequences,” said Raybuck during the press conference also attended by U.S. Marshal William Jessup of Hawaii and FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill of the Honolulu Field Office.
The manhunt for Santos involved scores of local, state and federal law enforcement personnel, including an FBI SWAT Team and aviation support.
“A team of highly trained tactical agents from across the country, who stand at the ready to rapidly respond, were activated and deployed to Kaua‘i,” said Merrill, who added the team consisted of 40 operators and 10 support staff.
He said the FBI was contacted by the Kaua‘i Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service to “assist in the location, identification and apprehension of felon fugitive Chris Santos.”
In the end, it was a U.S. Marshals Service tactical team and Kaua‘i Police Department personnel who encountered Santos near Kekaha Beach Park. Santos was operating a stolen Jeep Cherokee with an unidentified female passenger inside when “upon seeing arriving units Mr. Santos began to drive dangerously and erratically in the direction of law enforcement,” said Raybuck on the final moments before Santos was taken into custody.
He added that at the last moment the Jeep Cherokee veered off and struck a light pole. At that point, members of the tactical team exited their vehicle and Santos was taken into custody.
It was not clear at what point Santos was shot and by whom. The female passenger in the Jeep Cherokee was safely removed from the vehicle and released to bring the more than weeklong search to an end.
In response to a question at the press conference about the length of time it took to capture Santos for his latest alleged crimes, Raybuck referred to the homicide suspect as a “very seasoned criminal” who was aware of what he was going up against and used that knowledge to elude capture for a while.
Law enforcement officials also recovered two rifles from the scene of the crash when Santos was arrested, and then subsequently taken to Wilcox Medical Center in Lihu‘e for treatment. He is expected to be transferred from the medical center to the custody of Hawaii Department of Public Safety Corrections Division in the next few days.
The manhunt also produced a number of other concerning moments, including on Sept. 15, when authorities followed up on a lead that Santos could be in the westside of the island.
That potential development led authorities to employ lockdowns at multiple schools — Kekaha Elementary, Waimea High, Waimea Canyon Middle School and Eleele Elementary — at approximately 2:15 p.m. as a precaution.
The search for Santos previously led law enforcement authorities to close off Ma‘alo Road by Wailua Falls and Kuamo‘o Road near Wailua Reservoir in the early morning of Sept. 13. But after conducting an operation in connection with Santos, the roads were opened back up later in the morning.
The police department also received reports of different individuals providing transportation for Santos during the manhunt. Those reports were addressed during the press conference with Raybuck saying law enforcement is actively investigating.
Santos has a criminal history dating back to 1994, which includes a violent confrontation with local and federal authorities in 2007. He managed to elude authorities for months after the incident before he was eventually captured, charged and sent to prison.
