A suspected auto thief was critically wounded today after he was shot by police at a busy shopping center.
Two officers were also injured.
KHON2 was first on the scene just minutes after the 12:30pm shooting at the Waikele KFC drive-thru.
Witnesses say the suspect was shot after hitting one of the officers with his vehicle while trying to get away.
Officers were pursuing the Durango SUV because it had been reported stolen.
"They asked the guy to come out but he didn't want to come out of his vehicle so he started revving his engine and was trying to see if he could get away somehow," said witness Charlee Deuprey.
"They were telling the guy to get out and then pop pop pop," said witness Val Aipperspach.
"That's when the pop, pop pop occurred and then there was a little bit of silence and then another round of pops after the car tried to ram again," said witness Charles Skarphol.
"Good thing none of the witnesses were hurt, we actually had a customer at the drive-thru," said HPD Major David Kajihiro.
The 23-year-old driver, identified by sources as Jeramiah Lopez, was shot twice in the abdomen and once in the arm.
Lopez faces numerous charges including auto theft, criminal property damage and attempted murder.
A 32-year-old officer from Pearl City's Crime Reduction Unit was injured after being hit by the Durango.
Another officer sustained a back injury in the struggle.
The registered owner of the Durango SUV is the former longtime Athletic Director of Pearl City High School.
He says his SUV was actually stolen twice over the past two days.
Roy Ichinose says it all started late Sunday night.
His son borrowed his Durango SUV to go to a friend's house on Kaahumanu Street in Wailuna, about a half mile from their home in Momilani.
"When he came out, he looked at the spot and there was a dry spot where the car was parked, so he knew it was gone," said Ichinose.
Ichinose says his son filed a police report.
That was early Monday morning.
"Then this morning I got up and looked out the window and the car was parked across the street from my house," said Ichinose.
Conicidence? Ichinose thinks so. And police have their own suspicions.
"Who would park the car in front of the owner's house, ha ha, that was weird. So we called the police again, they came over checked the car out took fingerprints. We locked it up and my wife and I went to Pearlridge," said Ichinose.
Then several hours later, around noon.
"My son called me back and said hey the car is stolen again ha ha ha," said Ichinose.
When asked if he thinks the person who stole the car the first time is the same person who took it the second time, Ichinose replied: "I believe so."
Shortly after, a neighbor who was at this gas station on Kaahumanu Street, saw Ichinose's Durango drive by, heading west on Moanalua Road, onto the freeway.
Police were alerted, and officers followed the Durango to the Waikele KFC, where the driver was shot by police three times after hitting one of the officers with the Durango.
Sources say the driver's name is Jeramiah Lopez, and that he's a known auto thief.
He was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition.
"Fortunately it was found but unfortunately this incident happened. That was kind of sad, and you can't put any blame on the police officers because they were in jeopardy too for their lives," said Ichinose.
The officer who was hit by the durango was released from the hospital.
While the other officer who hurt his back and the suspect are still in the hospital.
