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Youth charged after ramming police car 03-24-03

HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
HILO CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION SECTION
DETECTIVE TOM C. POY
PHONE: 961-2383
MARCH 25, 2003

MEDIA RELEASE

Police charged a 17-year-old Keaukaha male with three felonies and three misdemeanors after he crashed his vehicle into a police cruiser early Tuesday (March 25, 2003) while trying to get away from the scene of a reported crime in the Keaukaha area of Hilo.

Police are also looking for the youth’s accomplice, identified as Steven Keawe Dutro, 18, of a Kalanianaole Avenue address, who escaped from the scene on foot.

About 2:30 a.m., South Hilo Patrol officers responded to a call about possible car break-ins at the Hale Moana condomium apartment complex at 1911 Kalanianaole Avenue.

On arrival, officers found the 17-year-old suspect and a male passenger driving out of a parking stall at the condomium. On seeing the officers, the suspect gunned the engine and rammed one of the police vehicles, barely missing the officer by about a foot. The impact of the collision knocked the police car into two other vehicles parked at the condomium. The driver then turned right on Kalanianaole and tried to speed away, but lost control of his car and hit a brick wall. The driver and his suspect then jumped out of the car and fled on foot.

Aided by Juvenile Aid Section detectives, Hilo Criminal Investigation Section detectives later tracked down the suspect by tracing the ownership of the wrecked vehicle.

The suspect was then arrested and charged at 3:30 p.m. with three felonies — second-degree terroristic threatening, first-degree criminal property damage and second-degree theft of a motor vehicle. He was also charged with two counts of failure to report a traffic accident and one count of failure to heed a police officer, all misdemeanors. After being charged, the youth was transported to the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility on Oahu.

The youth’s alleged accomplice is still at large. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Steven Keawe Dutro is asked to call Detective Tom C. Poy of the Hilo CIS at 961-2383 or the police non-emergency number at 935-3311.

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