Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting that closed down one lane of a busy Puna highway during the afternoon rush hour Tuesday.
According to a Hawaii Police Department statement, Puna Patrol Division officers who were on Volcano Highway (Highway 11) attending to an unrelated incident, attempted to stop a stolen pickup truck traveling southbound just south of the Kulani Road intersection in Mountain View.
Police say the truck “sped toward the officers in a threatening manner.” In response, an officer fired one shot toward the vehicle, which continued southbound on Highway 11 toward Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
No injuries were reported.
Police issued a bulletin at 2:49 p.m. advising the public to avoid Highway 11 near the Kulani Road intersection because of the traffic backlog caused by the investigation into the shooting. Another advisory was sent at 5:57 p.m. to advise the road was cleared for traffic in all lanes.
Two investigations are being conducted into the officer-involved shooting, which police say is standard practice. Hilo Criminal Investigation Section detectives are conducting a criminal investigation, and the Officer of Professional Standards, the department’s internal affairs unit, is conducting an administrative review.
Police are seeking the public’s help in finding the stolen truck, described as a 1989 black Nissan hard-body single-cab pickup, bearing license plate number ZBC 027. The truck reportedly is slightly lifted and sports oversized tires and a mesh tailgate and a red, yellow and green sticker on the driver’s side rear window.
Anyone who has information about the location of the truck or the identity or whereabouts of the suspects is asked to call the police nonemergency line at 935-3311. Those who prefer anonymity may call CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.