HAWAII POLICE DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF
LAWRENCE K. MAHUNA
PHONE: 961-2244
AUGUST 11, 2006
Chief Lawrence Mahuna thanks Wayne Rubio, left, and Wyatt Lotz, right, for going to the aid of an officer.
MEDIA RELEASE
Two Big Island citizens received commendation plaques from Chief Lawrence K. Mahuna Thursday (August 10, 2006) for going to the aid of an officer who was being assaulted by a combative suspect.
On April 20, 2006, while Officer Paul Kim attempted to arrest a 41-year-old man on Wainaku Street in Hilo, the man began to assault the officer. During the assault, Wayne Rubio of Hilo and Wyatt Lotz of Mountain View helped the officer hold and restrain the suspect until backup units arrived.
“The Police Department is very thankful for citizens like these two citizens here,” said Chief Mahuna when presenting the plaques at a meeting of commanding officers in Hilo Thursday morning. Mahuna said the normal reaction in the presence of a physical struggle is to run away or, at least, not to help. “But these individuals gave of themselves,” he said, “and I think we should honor them.”
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