Homeless Man Suspect in Wailea Bank Robbery

Michael Flocco. Photo courtesy MPD.

By Wendy Osher

***An UPDATE to this story has since been posted at the following direct LINK.

Maui police arrested a homeless man today for his suspected involvement in the robbery this morning of the First Hawaiian Bank in Wailea.

Michael Flocco, 33, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree robbery, and was transported to the Wailuku Police Station for processing without incident.

The robbery was reported at 9:01 a.m. on Thursday, March 14, at the bank branch located at 161 Wailea Iki Place.

According to police reports, an unknown male entered the bank and allegedly approached a teller with a note demanding money be placed in a paper bag.

Police say no weapon was seen, and the suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

Police say bank staff described the suspect as 5’04” to 5’08” tall, with a husky build and dressed in a black t-shirt and black surf shorts with a red design. Authorities say the suspect fled the scene on a silver moped heading west down Wailea Iki Drive.

According to police, an individual matching the suspect description, and a silver moped matching the one used in the robbery, were located by Kihei Patrol Officers in the brush area of Old Makena Road in the area known by some as White Rock at around 10:30 a.m.

The male stated the moped belonged to him and he was then detained, said Maui Police Lt. Jayson K. Rego in a department report.

Police took a digital photo of the suspect, and upon conferring with bank staff, “the male was positively identified as the same person who robbed the bank and fled,” said Lt. Rego.

Police reports described Flocco as a homeless man from Pennsylvania.

His moped has since been impounded. A search warrant of the suspect’s moped and property will be conducted to ascertain if any of the proceeds from the robbery are within, police said.

The investigation is ongoing.