HPD Seek Withness to Puna Theft

Hawaiʻi Island police are asking for witnesses to a theft Tuesday, July 26, in Puna.

In response to a 7:19 p.m. call Tuesday, Puna Patrol officers met with a 17-year-old Pāhoa boy who reported that a few minutes earlier he had been walking along Ainaloa Boulevard just above the Highway 130 intersection when a man sitting on a rock wall grabbed his backpack.

As the two struggled for the backpack, several items fell out, and the victim was able to regain possession of the bag. He then ran to the home of an acquaintance and called the police.

The items that fell out of the bag were later recovered at the scene.

The suspect is described as a “local male” in his mid-20s to early 30s, between 5-foot-10 and 6-feet tall, with a dark complexion, thin build and thick eyebrows.

He was wearing baggy tan pants with numerous pockets, a gray or silver Quicksilver T-shirt and a baseball cap facing backward. He was last seen heading on foot toward Highway 130.

Police ask anyone with any information about this case to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or Officer Joseph Picadura at 965-2716.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.