Residents on edge, police search for attempted kidnapping suspect

HONOLULU (KHON2) — A quiet Foster Village community is on edge as police continue the search for the suspect of an attempted kidnapping.

Bob Cunningham, the area’s Neighborhood Security Watch coordinator, said they mostly deal with car theft or car break-ins.

“It is very surprising,” Cunningham said. “Violent crimes, crimes involving violent assaults are very rare.”

But he admitted that the bus stop looks much different at night.

“It gets dark and it can be an isolated place,” he explained.

Police said the attempted kidnapping happened Monday around 7:10 p.m. while the 18-year-old woman was waiting for the bus.

According to police, the victim was at TheBus stop near the corner of Haloa Drive and Kukila Street alone when the suspect approached her.

That’s when police said the suspect walked behind the victim, hit her on the head, grabbed her from behind and tried to take her away from the bus stop.

According to police, the victim fought back and was able to free herself.

Police are seeking the public’s help in locating the suspect.

He’s described as an unknown man in his 20s to 30s, about 6 feet tall, between 140 to 160 pounds, with short black hair.

He was wearing a tank top and long dark jeans. He has tattoos on both forearms and a tattoo on his left hand.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Honolulu Police Department or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.

Ed Howard, retired police officer and owner of Pax Bello Security Solutions Hawaii shared some safety tips.

According to Howard, the most important thing is being aware of your surroundings.

“If you’re sitting at a bus stop by yourself, you should be facing traffic and you should be facing an area where you can see peripheral unobstructed,” Howard said. “Don’t sit down in an area where you’re vulnerable and you have somebody behind you or on the side of you.”

If anyone approaches you, he said you need to watch their body language, how they talk, and if you feel uncomfortable, distance yourself. He said it’s important to listen to your gut.

“If somebody gets in your personal space, that you do not know, that is a red flag,” said Howard.

He also suggested putting up a barrier between you and the other person to make it harder for them to get to you.

Howard explained:

“You gotta get away from the threat, you gotta get away from the person that may cause you harm. And you also have to be commanding to them. You tell them, ‘Stop, leave me alone’ and move away from them and immediately call the police. If you see people walking around, yell out to them, ‘Hey can you call 911 for me? I need the police now.’ Be vocal about it.”

Howard said a lot of people are afraid to call the police. He said don’t be.

“They are our protectors and when you call them they’re going to do what police do,” said Howard. “They’re going to investigate and they’re gonna check things out. And they’re gonna help you be safe.”