MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaiʻi Island police are renewing their request for information about an attempted robbery in January.

In response to an 8:03 p.m. call on January 27, South Hilo Patrol officers responded to the 70 block of Banyan Drive in Hilo, where a 79-year-old woman reported that she had been walking alone on the entrance ramp to a hotel when a man pulled on her purse, causing her to fall to the ground. The woman held on to her purse and screamed for help as the man dragged her by her purse. The man then fled on foot without the purse.

The suspect is described as a young “local male” wearing a light-colored shirt. He was last seen on foot heading south on Banyan Drive.

Police ask anyone with any information about this case to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or contact Detective Todd Pataray at 961-2382 or todd.pataray@hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number 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.