A 38-year-old robbery suspect whose older brother died while in police custody in 2014 — a death over which he is suing the county — has himself collapsed while in custody.
Police said late Wednesday afternoon that Clarence Hatori of Pahoa is in critical condition at Hilo Medical Center after collapsing about 9:30 a.m. while alone in his cell at the Hilo police cellblock.
Fire Department medics were called and took Hatori by ambulance to Hilo Medical Center, where he remained late Wednesday afternoon.
Hatori turned himself in the previous day and was booked on suspicion of robbery and charged with two counts of contempt of court after police issued a public wanted bulletin Monday saying Hatori was a suspect in a strong-arm robbery Friday in Wainaku.
Lt. Greg Esteban of the Hilo Criminal Investigations Section said Wednesday that Hatori showed no signs of medical distress while being questioned about the alleged robbery.
“During his brief interactions with detectives there was no complaint of discomfort or anything that would cause alarm for us to seek any medical attention for him, and soon after that, he was returned to the cell,” Esteban said.
Hatori was to have appeared in court Wednesday afternoon on the contempt of court charges. Police say he’s been released from custody pending further investigation of the robbery charge because of his medical condition.
Hatori is the brother of Randall Hatori, who was 39 when he died in police custody during an arrest Feb. 4, 2014, in Kona. Clarence Hatori filed a wrongful death federal lawsuit against the county and police in February.
Clarence Hatori’s wife, Lei, posted Wednesday on Facebook that her husband didn’t turn himself in sooner because of “cops that brutally killed his brother and by proof he was innocent to that alleged robbery! Now suddenly found in the cell block unresponsive on life support!”
She said her husband, who has prior convictions for robbery, theft and assault, “was trying to change his life around, what if I told you he saved 2 lives in this process if you can figure that out! He turned himself in and look what suddenly happens!!”
Clarence Hatori’s wife described her husband as “a good man with a bad past.”
“To my honey I love you so much your a strong man with a good heart I’ll be by your side always!” she wrote.
Because Clarence Hatori’s collapse occurred in police custody, the incident is being investigated by the Hilo Criminal Investigations Section and the Office of Professional Standards, the department’s internal affairs unit, police said.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.