Kona officer of month honored

The Kona Crime Prevention Committee honored Officer Brandon Mansur as Officer of the Month for November.

Mansur, a Kona Patrol officer, was selected for a felony theft investigation and his response to a suicidal man who threatened to kill police.

In the first case, Mansur was assigned to investigate a felony theft from a store in Kailua-Kona. After obtaining a description of a male and female suspect and their vehicle, he spotted them and attempted to stop them, but they ignored his blue lights and siren and fled the area.

The next day, an off-duty officer reported seeing the suspects at a gas station. When Mansur responded and tried to arrest the male juvenile, the juvenile attempted to overpower him and steal his vehicle. Mansur was able to restrain the juvenile and arrest him, along with the woman.

In the second case, Mansur was called to a hotel on Alii Drive, where a guest said he had a knife and gun and needed police assistance. When Mansur approached the guest, the man brandished a knife, threatened to shoot police with a handgun and barricaded himself inside his room.

Sgt. Makia Rose said Mansur evacuated guests from surrounding rooms, kept supervisors informed about the incident and worked with other officers to secure the scene and maintain a safe perimeter. Special Response Team negotiators were able to talk the suspect into turning himself over to police for an emergency mental health examination.