HPD Charges Woman in Connection with Vehicle Pursuit

Hawaiʻi Island Police Department has charged a Hilo woman with several criminal offenses in connection with a vehicle pursuit that took place in Hilo on Monday, April 2, 2018.

Helena Pang. HPD photo.

At 12:07 p.m. Monday, police attempted to stop a white Honda sedan that was speeding and overtaking vehicles traveling down Mohouli Street from Kaūmana Drive in Hilo.

The pursuit continued onto Haihai Street when the suspect struck an uninvolved motorist stopped in traffic at the Kīlauea Avenue intersection.  The suspect then reversed and struck the pursuing officer’s subsidized vehicle before turning onto the Kīlauea Extension in the Puna direction towards Highway 11.  Neither the uninvolved motorist nor was the police officer were seriously injured.

Assisting officers continued their search for the suspect vehicle and found it abandoned on Māmaki Street after it crashed into an embankment near the intersection with Highway 11.  Bystanders in the area told police that the female driver, and the sole occupant, fled into the nearby brush.  Police recovered a container of suspected drugs and paraphernalia while searching for the suspect in the brush.

At 12:22 p.m., after an extensive search, 33-year-old Helena Pang was arrested without incident at the scene.  She was taken to the Hilo cellblock while investigators with the Area I Criminal Investigation and Vice Section continued the investigation.

Police recovered 29.4 grams of crystal methamphetamine and 25.4 grams of black-tar heroin after search warrants were served on the container and Pang’s vehicle.

At 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, April 4, police charged Pang with one count of resisting an order to stop, driving without a driver’s license, first degree criminal property damage, reckless driving, three counts of second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, three counts of third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, and two counts of prohibited acts related to drug paraphernalia.  Her bail has been set at $277,000.  Pang is currently being held at the Hawai‘i Community Correctional Center in lieu of $277,000 bail pending her initial appearance scheduled for Thursday, April 5, in District Court.

Anyone who may have information about these incidents is asked to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Officer Jared Cabatu of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-8222.

This information was provided by the authorities. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.