Crime Statistics

The road has since reopened. Maui Now reached out to police on Sunday regarding details surrounding this incident. Information is forthcoming.

Maui police released information this morning on Friday nightʻs road closures and evacuations in Wailuku. According to police, Wailuku Patrol officers located a stolen vehicle potentially linked to the Pukalani improvised explosive device (IED) incident from the previous night. The incident was reported at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. After a thorough investigation, the vehicle was deemed safe and unrelated to the IED case.

Maui police have reopened all roads in Wailuku as of 11 p.m., after a nearly two hour closure due to a police investigation. The investigation also resulted in the evacuation of multiple streets in the area.

The incident occurred on Old Haleakalā Highway on Aug. 8, 2024 when an IED, which had been placed in a nearby trash receptacle, exploded. The explosion struck a passing vehicle, and the driver was transported to the hospital and released, according to the FBI.

Several devices have been recovered in the Kahului and Pukalani areas.

The Hawai‘i Police Department announced the identification of a suspect via DNA evidence in the 1991 murder of Dana Ireland. Age 23 at the time of her death, Ireland was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in the Kapoho area of Hawai‘i Island on Dec. 24, 1991. She died the next day at the Hilo Medical Center.

At approximately 8:20 a.m., SRT personnel and an MPD Bomb Technician performed an X-ray of the device before rendering the device safe via a water disruption shot.  Upon further investigation, it was determined the contents were more likely an improvised pyrotechnic device rather than an IED.

On Monday, July 22, 2024, Seniola Kafoa Jr., 46, of Lahaina was charged with second degree attempted murder.  Kafoa remains in police custody with bail set at $500,000.

Maui police have launched a second degree murder investigation into the death of a 53-year-old Lahaina man on Saturday in Kāʻanapali.

The Hilo International Airport experienced a brief halt in operations as Hawai‘i Police Department personnel responded to a report by Transportation Security Administration staff that two items resembling grenades were detected during x-ray screening within a carry-on bag belonging to male Japanese national departing the country.

A Kahului man was arrested on weapons and other charges following routine beat checks by officers with the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement at Kaʻae Road in Wailuku on Wednesday morning.

The Maui Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating the depicted woman, who is wanted for alleged burglary and arson attempt. Police say that on Friday, June 28, 2024 at approximately 5:30 p.m., the woman broke into a Wailuku building and then attempted to start a fire within.

A 35-year-old suspect is being held on $500,000 bail following a harrowing incident reported by a California couple who told police they were carjacked on a remote section of the Piʻilani Highway, and fled for their lives on foot to the summit of Haleakalā.

Department officials say the most recent reported ongoing scam is spoof callers claiming to be a Maui Police Department representative. Spoofing is a technique used to manipulate caller ID information, making it appear as if the call is coming from a legitimate source, such as a government agency, financial institution, or even a known contact, making it highly deceptive.

Maui Police Department Captain Terence Gomez was one of 201 law enforcement officers who graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia on Thursday.

The award recognized the military, local law enforcement and community agencies that have come together through Operation Keiki Shield to combat internet and child sex trafficking crimes within the active-duty military in Hawaiʻi.

The Maui Police Department is warning the public of a recurring scam involving spoofed phone calls targeting members of the community.

A Maui man was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder of another man in Kanaio in 2018. In January, a jury found Justin Namauu, 48, guilty in the death of Dennis Pacheco, who was 45 at the time of the incident.

Maui police released composite sketches (depicted above) on Friday of two suspects in an alleged pedestrian assault reported on March 31, 2024 in a van near Sugar Beach in Kīhei.

The Maui Police Department is warning the public of a recurring scam involving spoofed phone calls targeting members of the community. “We urge you to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to protect yourself from falling victim to these fraudulent activities,” police said.