Foot chase in Kapa‘a

KAPA‘A — A theft reported in Lihu‘e led to a foot chase in Kapa‘a that resulted in the arrest of two male suspects yesterday morning.

It was around 10 a.m. Thursday when a NAPA Auto and Truck Parts employee ran upstairs to report the theft of a $1,000 generator to general manager Todd Burns in Lihu‘e.

Burns began reviewing the security cameras, and there, he said he watched somebody pick up a small BE 2,000-watt generator. An employee called out to the suspect, and they ran out the store, Burns said. He called the Kaua‘i Police Department around 10:08 a.m. and started describing the video footage.

“I just started live feeding to the dispatcher,” Burns said.

Outside, he could see a black Mercury Coupe getaway car, which he described to dispatch.

“His accomplice had reversed their car, and he just jumped through the passenger window,” Burns said. “They were moving as his foot was still out the window.”

One eyewitness said he witnessed the described car “hauling straight ass” on Lehua Street around 10:15 a.m.

Shortly after the call, police identified the suspects’ alleged vehicle in Kapa‘a on the road behind Olympic Cafe, a KPD spokesperson wrote in an email.

According to a preliminary report, the two male suspects abandoned the vehicle and ran on foot. There was no vehicle pursuit, the spokesperson said, and the car “was ditched in a Kapa‘a yard.”

A resident who witnessed the chase around 10:30 a.m. said a shirtless assailant who ran past her soaking wet was brought down outside of Big Wave Dave’s on Kuhio Highway going toward Huliuili Street.

At the store in Lihu‘e, theft isn’t uncommon. Burns said they see about one theft every two weeks. The store is equipped with two different security systems that cover the inside and outside of the store.

“We looked at the tape, and we noticed that there are two people who came in previously and they kind of eyed the place and saw the generator,” Burns said.

In all, Burns said the interaction at the store was about seven minutes at most, and by the time he was done giving a statement to police around 11 a.m., they had already found the car.

“There’s a lot more important things that police should be taking care of right now to keep everybody safe. That’s unfortunate that they have to use resources on these types of issues.”

Police said both suspects were apprehended and the generator was retrieved. Names were not released since the investigation is on-going.

More information will be reported as it become available.