Hawaii Island police are investigating an attempted custodial interference involving an 11-year old boy while he was walking with his bicycle Sept. 23 in the Paauhau Camp area of Honokaa.
Hawaii Island police are investigating an attempted custodial interference involving an 11-year old boy while he was walking with his bicycle Sept. 23 in the Paauhau Camp area of Honokaa.
The Hawaii Police Department was informed about a social media post about a white SUV in the Paauhau Camp area, with two hooded men who attempted to take a child riding a bike. The incident was not reported to the police.
Following up on the unreported incident, police determined that sometime between 4 and 6 p.m. the boy was walking his bike in the Paauhau Camp area, and saw a white-colored, early- to mid-2000s SUV, with two men inside who asked him to get in the SUV.
The juvenile declined and the SUV left the area. The boy, who was unharmed, later reported the incident to a family member, leading to the social media posting of the incident.
The driver of the SUV is described as possibly being of Filipino or Asian descent male, between 40 and 60 years of age, who was wearing a black-colored hoodie, according to police. The passenger’s description is unknown other than he was also wearing a black-colored hoodie.
The department urged the public to immediately report such instances to police.
“We encourage the public to contact police to report crimes or suspicious activities” said Capt. Regino Saludares, commander for the Hamakua District. “Posting information on popular social media sites may spread awareness quickly, but prompt reporting to police will help tremendously with the investigation and keeping the public safe.”
Anyone with any information about this case should call the Hawaii Police Department’s nonemergency line at (808) 935-3311, or contact Officer John Kari at (808) 775-7533 or John.Kari@hawaiicounty.gov.
