MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaiʻi Island police are investigating an incident in which a man attempted to steal a parked vehicle in Hilo.

At 9:19 a.m. Wednesday (November 19), South Hilo Patrol officers responded to a call from a witness in the parking lot of Wal-Mart on Makaʻala Street in Hilo. They made contact with a 55-year-old Kurtistown woman, who related that upon returning to her parked pickup truck, she discovered a man inside attempting to steal it. The suspect forced the door open and fled the area on foot toward Kanoelehua Avenue. The victim was not injured in this incident, which is classified as a first-degree unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, attempted unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and an attempted robbery during the course of committing a theft.

The suspect is described as tall and Caucasian. He was last seen wearing a dark windbreaker jacket, black pants and a dark hat.

Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section are conducting checks for video surveillance footage from nearby businesses and are asking that anyone who may have witnessed the incident call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or contact Detective Todd Pataray at 961-2382 or tpataray@co.hawaii.hi.us.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.