Auto theft ends in purse snatching leaving Pauoa residents concerned

HONOLULU (KHON2) — It was a typical weekend for Mandy Tardif until she noticed something missing from her Pauoa home.

“It took me a little while to figure out why my car wasn’t there and after realizing it wasn’t there,” said Mandy Tardif, a Pauoa resident. “I said oh my goodness it must’ve been stolen.”

According to police, Tardif’s car was taken and used in a purse snatching on Sunday in the same area. Police say, another woman stopped to help after seeing a car that appeared to be stalled. They say a man then dashed into the woman’s car, stole her purse and made a run for it.

Police say when the suspect was located, he started to run away from them and ran into one of these homes on Booth Street where he was arrested and taken into custody.

Police arrested a 21-year-old man for criminal trespassing and unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle.

“It makes me lock my windows. I thought I lived in a really safe place, a safe environment and now it’s giving me this feeling of like I have to be cautious and careful I don’t like living like that,” Tardif said.

This incident comes just days after police responded to a home invasion in Pauoa. Police say, multiple suspects held a 26-year-old at gunpoint inside the home.

The Makiki Neighborhood Board says they’re hearing more concerns from area residents.

“Lower Makiki has been having a lot of crime in the area too and even my own building has been hit with people breaking into the locked garage area,” said Ian Ross, chair of the Makiki Neighborhood Board.

HPD says although property crime is down, robberies and auto thefts are up. Police are using resources to make sure this doesn’t become a trend.

“We reallocate and redistribute resources not only in a plain clothes capacity and also in undercover capacity,” said Rade Vanic, Honolulu Police Interim Chief. “We hit these areas where we understand are hot spots.”

As for Tardif, she’s urging residents to stay vigilant.

“If you can just take extra precautions and just tell people, make them aware like we don’t have to be scared, but we can look out for each other. Look out for suspicious people,” Tardif said.