Hawai‘i Police Department
Area I Criminal Investigations Section
Lieutenant Zachary Fernando
Phone: (808) 961-2252
Report No.: 23-099265
Media Release
Hawai‘i Island police have charged a Kurtistown man with terroristic threatening and firearms offenses after he was arrested on Thursday, October 19, 2023, walking along Highway 11 with a handgun.
The charges against 52-year-old Hermundo Tagalicud stem from an incident reported shortly after 9:00 a.m. Thursday morning when Puna patrol officers received a report of a man walking along Highway 11 near the intersection of Paahana Street in Kea‘au, holding what appeared to be a handgun in his hand.
Given that the location was in close proximity to the Kamehameha Schools Kea‘au campus, and out of an abundance of caution, police notified school officials of the incident as they responded to the scene. The school briefly went into a soft lockdown until Tagalicud was safely in custody.
Upon arriving on scene at 9:09 a.m., officers contacted Tagalicud, who was observed with the firearm in his hand and briefly pointed it towards a uniformed police officer. He was instructed to drop the firearm, to which he complied. He was arrested without incident and the firearm was recovered.
During the course of the investigation, detectives determined that the firearm Tagalicud was in possession of was a flare-type gun that had been modified to shoot .22 caliber ammunition.
On Thursday afternoon, after conferring with the County Prosecutors Office, detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section charged Tagalicud with the following offenses:
- First-degree terroristic threatening
- Place to keep: pistols or revolvers
- Ownership or possession prohibited
Tagalicud’s bail was set at $45,000 and he is scheduled to make his initial court appearance in Hilo District Court on Friday, October 20.
He was also arrested on three outstanding bench warrants with a total bail amount of $6,000.
Police ask anyone who may have information on this case to contact Detective Kimo Keliipaakaua of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2375 or by email at kimo.keliipaakaua@hawaiicounty.gov.