KAILUA-KONA — Authorities are trying to determine who drove a vehicle into a Super Cuts early Tuesday morning forcing the business to shut down till further notice.
At about 6:15 a.m., Hawaii police responded to the salon in the Lanihau Center. Security reported the crash. The car crashed into the waiting area of the business, destroying the seating area and front desk.
After the crash, police say, a man was later seen fleeing the scene.
It is unknown at this time who that individual is. However, police say, the vehicle’s owner called a family member and indicated his car was stolen.
“However, we at this point are unable to locate the vehicle owner,” police say.
Super Cuts Owner Brandi Herbert heard about the crash around 6:30 a.m. She said the vehicle was still running and in drive, but the driver was already gone. She said she spoke to police who told her that the registered owner of the car told officers the car had been stolen.
West Hawaii Today newspaper carrier Patti Lowther came across the scene around 6:30 a.m. She didn’t see the crash, but said people were surprised by how much damaged it caused.
“People were stunned at how far into the building the car travelled, shocked that it crashed right were the waiting area is,” she emailed WHT.
She added that people eating breakfast at a nearby deli said they’d seen the accident, and that they described the driver as a tall, heavy-set man wearing white shorts and no shirt who ran into a vacant lot and bushes after fleeing from the car.
The salon will be closed for repair.
Police say the driver may be subject to arrest.