Hawaiʻi police arrest and charge wanted fugitive after Captain Cook crime spree

Hawaiʻi Island police have found and arrested a wanted fugitive with more than a dozen offenses after a crime spree resulted in an officer-involved shooting in the Captain Cook area on Wednesday.

Police arrested and charged 28-year-old Junson Heckerz, of Ocean View, following a series of incidents that began Wednesday morning.

Heckerz made his initial appearance in Kona District Court on Thursday morning. Over Prosecutors’ objections, the District Court judge reduced Heckerz’ bail from $293,100 to $5,000 and ordered him to appear for a preliminary hearing on Friday.

Kona patrol officers were initially alerted to Heckerz at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday when they received a report from a Captain Cook man who said he was riding his utility task vehicle in the area while searching for his stolen Volkswagen sedan, which he had just located. At the same time, officers were responding to a reported traffic collision at the intersection of Papalani Road and Māmalahoa Highway near the Miloliʻi Junction in Captain Cook.

When officers arrived, they determined there had been no traffic collision. However, they found the Volkswagen disabled in the roadway. The Captain Cook man reported that when he located his stolen vehicle, it was disabled in the roadway with a man, later identified as Heckerz, in the driver’s seat.

After both men exited their vehicles, Heckerz reportedly entered the utility task vehicle and fled the scene.

As officers searched for Heckerz and the stolen utility task vehicle, police dispatch received a call about a man attempting to remove a Toyota pickup truck from a residence in the 88-1400 block of Māmalahoa Highway in Captain Cook at approximately 10:11 a.m.

The suspect fled after being confronted by the vehicle’s owner, who in turn notified his neighbors about the incident and told them to be on the lookout for the suspect.

At 11:50 a.m., police dispatch received a trespassing report on a nearby property in the 89-1400 block of Anapuka Road with a description of the suspect that matched Heckerz.

As officers were clearing the scene of the trespassing incident at 1:15 p.m., a report of an active burglary was made in the same general area at the 89-1200 block of Māmalahoa Highway.

While en route to the scene, officers received a description of the suspect seen canvassing the property, which matched that of Heckerz. As officers arrived on the scene, they observed Heckerz inside the driver’s seat of the property owner’s Cadillac.

When an officer attempted to contact Heckerz, he began rapidly reversing down a long driveway in an effort to evade police but was unable to escape. As the officer continued to address Heckerz, he rapidly accelerated the stolen vehicle toward the officer, causing the officer to jump out of the way as the vehicle sped past him toward a metal gate.

As the vehicle crashed through the metal gate at a high rate of speed, it nearly struck a third police vehicle and propelled the gate into a parked vehicle.

Simultaneously, a second officer standing just outside the metal gate discharged two rounds at the vehicle. Heckerz lost control of the vehicle, resulting in it crossing the roadway and crashing into a ditch.

Officers rushed to render aid and detain Heckerz. He was not struck by the officer’s bullets and did not sustain any injuries as a result of the crash.

There were no passengers in Heckerz’s vehicle, and no officers were injured as a result of the incident.

While officers were still on the scene of this investigation, one of the neighbors from the 10:11 a.m. incident called police dispatch to report a burglary that occurred at their residence earlier in the day. Police are currently investigating to determine if that burglary is connected to the other incidents that took place on June 4.

Heckerz has been featured on the department’s monthly “Hawaiʻi’s Most Wanted” program on Nā Leo TV since April and was arrested for three outstanding warrants totaling $7,100.

After conferring with the Hawaiʻi County Prosecutor’s Office, Area II Criminal Investigation Section detectives charged Heckerz with the following offenses at 6:45 a.m. today:

• Three outstanding warrants
• Three counts of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle (auto theft)
• Two counts of first-degree theft
• First-degree attempted theft
• First-degree burglary
• Unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle
• Second-degree reckless endangering
• Resisting order to stop a motor vehicle
• Fourth-degree theft
• Fourth-degree criminal property damage

Heckerz remains in custody.

The Hawaiʻi Police Department Office of Professional Standards has initiated a critical incident review into this incident, as is standard practice. The officer who fired his firearm has been with the department for just under two years and is assigned to the Kona patrol division.

He has been placed on administrative leave to ensure he is mentally, emotionally, and physically able to return to work.

This investigation remains ongoing, and police ask anyone who may have witnessed any of these incidents or may have any information about additional incidents in the area to call the department’s non-emergency line at 808-935-3311 or Detective Donovan Kohara at 808-326-4646 ext. 238 or email Donovan.kohara@hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the Crime Stoppers number at 808-961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.