There was a fatal crash on the Diamond Head end of Kapiolani Park just past the Dillingham Fountain and the Elks Club about 3:30 Sunday morning. Most news stories said a 39-year old man was killed in the single car crash, and that speed was suspected to be a factor. The wreckage had not been removed when we arrived for breakfast at the Elks about 8 a.m.
But Hawaii News Now reporter Rick Daysog added a critical point in his story on the crash.
“Multiple sources said the 39-year-old driver was seen racing by the Waikiki Police substation when police began to pursue his red Ford Mustang,” Daysog reported.
Daysog did not press the issue of a police pursuit, and no other media reported it.
The question is important: Were police pursuing the speeding red Mustang when it crashed? And the lingering question–Did an active police pursuit contribute to the fatal crash?
See:
“Advocates urge traffic safety following deadly Memorial Day weekend crashes,” Rick Daysog, Hawaii News Now, May 30, 2021.
Discover more from i L i n d
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Ian, thanks for this angle, because it’s not in the SA. But if the crash victim was “racing” by the police substation, it sounds like he was already engaged in high-speed, reckless driving at that point. The account you’ve related says that the police started to chase the suspect when he passed the substation; the substation is maybe 3/4 of a mile from the crash site (my estimate); at 60mph that’s about 45 seconds of drive time, at 30mph it’s 90 seconds. So in that window, the police would have had to get in their vehicles, and then accelerate to a speed faster than the suspect. It doesn’t seem plausible that any police pursuit that was not already happening could have contributed to this.
High speed chases are not needed in Hawaii. We live on an island and the Police have radios.
Are you suggesting that police NOT chase any speeding cars … like REALLY speeding cars?
Lord help us if that were the rule!
Are you suggesting police engage in deadly, unnecessary, Hollywood style high speed chases through residential neighborhoods or crowded areas (pretty much most of HNL “town”) despite being properly trained or not (in HPD’s case I really am dubious) when such resources as helicopters, traffic cameras, spike strips or roadblocks might be better utilized? And the fact we’re on an ISLAND?
Do a search for his name and “facebook” and “mustang” There might be some older videos of him driving down Kalakaua Avenue and in one he even mentions the Elk Club. Not sure……
I heard the crash, ran down to see what happened, a couple minute later, the police arrived. It definitely did not appear as if there was a chase of any kind going on.
I’m glad to hear that. Thanks.
Please Ian. The ONLY cause for this “accident” is the lawless individual that CHOSE to drive at a high rate of speed for whatever (likely illegal) reason. ACCOUNTABILITY.
FYI, There is a chance there was a malfunction with the ETC (Electronic Throttle Control) in the vehicle. It has happened before. Ford vehicles and others have all kinds of things “go wrong”, all the time.
Do a internet search and look it up.