HILO— A Hilo business was burgled Friday morning after thieves stole a van from Suisan Fish Market and used it to smash into a pawn shop.
Stephen Ueda, president and CEO of Suisan Foodservice, said the van was moved from the market to Lihiwai Street early Friday in order to make way for morning operations. Ueda said the keys were left in the van’s ignition, allowing an unknown thief or thieves to steal the vehicle.
At approximately 4:40 a.m., the stolen van was driven to Hilo Loan Shop on Mamo Street. Richard Lau, an employee of Hilo Loan Shop who lives above the store, said he heard the van backing up but didn’t think anything about it.
“Then it just got louder and louder, and there was this crashing noise,” Lau said.
The thieves backed the Suisan van into the storefront of Hilo Loan Shop, knocking out an entire wall.
Lau said the thieves left in the van shortly thereafter, having taken several items from the shop’s cabinets. He added the thieves left the van a short distance away and transferred to a getaway car in which they made their escape.
“They didn’t get any of the customers’ stuff,” said Hilo Loan Shop owner Mike Smallwood, adding that only his own personal items were stolen.
Smallwood and Lau worked Friday to clear the destroyed storefront and transfer the shop’s merchandise off-site.
Ueda said the van was recovered in drivable condition, although he added its rear end sustained significant damage.
“We’re going to internally look into our security practices,” Ueda said. “It used to be there wasn’t that much crime in this neighborhood, but times are changing.”
Hawaii County police could not be reached for comment.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
For a small town, Hilo has a lot of low life, crack head criminals. If you include Puna that’s most of them on the Island.
well said
Meth
Meth heads will do what meth heads will do!
Yeah. I get furious at the scumbags… but truth is that at some point, the meth completely takes over, and they’re not acting much different than the animals we see on a Nat Geo wildlife show. A hyena mauling a cute little baby antelope is just doing what hyenas do. More jail space, tougher sentences, better enforcement are all necessary, but ultimately won’t solve the problem. Just being at this stage means that we already lost the battle a long time ago…
not quite ready to concede the battle but it sure don’t look good.
Yep — just to clarify… I think there *is* still hope big picture. But when *individuals* get to the point where they’re doing stuff like this… or guys like Waiki… the battle in those cases was lost long ago, maybe even when they were teens.
We need to stop people, esp. kids, from even entering the drug spiral to begin with… esp. with meth, because it’s so easy to to get hooked, so fast. I had friends from upstanding backgrounds, all the “right” qualities on paper — wealth, education, intelligence, looks, popularity, promising careers, etc., etc. — who succumbed quickly to meth once they dared try it. The only thing that saved them was intervention/rehab, or prison. And in the latter case, the guy was just lucky that prison turned him around, vs. sunk him even deeper.
We got them and they should be in Kulani Prison.
We have registered sex offenders listing their addresses as Public Parks.
We have open borders on the mainland that this stuff pours thru on a daily basis and we got
“. And in the latter case, the guy was just lucky that prison turned him around, vs. sunk him even deeper.”
Which is what is called HOPE and reason to care and try……what a paradox.
Prison scared him straight. But frankly, real reason they were able to turn things around is because they had wealthy, well-connected families who could provide housing, financial support and good jobs to them in their recoveries. A lot of people coming out of prison have nothing — get out, and then what?? Try to find even a minimum wage job and affordable housing as a convicted felon, typically low-skilled and HS education at most. No wonder recidivism rate is so high — it’s easier being in jail. Or just exiting life, period.
wow,sorry to the small business owner…..and the crime spree continues….on an island…many thanks to the socialist liberal judges with their low goddam bails that offer no deterrent..and to the corrupt lawyers for plea deals…DISGUSTING
sadly….Very sadly
Our island is becoming unrecognizable.
DRUGS…..open KULANI again and keep it full of working chain gangs.
We lose OUR Beautiful island for THIS????
LOCK EM UP and keep them away from OUR Big Island Homes and families.
I can think of a better more permanent solution myself.
We lose our lovely island so these people can walk free and victimize us????
it is simply meth
Really need to address the growing meth problem. It’s only going to get worse.
Well, at least this time there was really a point behind stealing a vehicle on an island. Now, what on earth are they going to do with the stuff they stole? Pawn them??