A police pursuit of a pair of car thieves in Kailua-Kona Thursday night diverted police resources from the ongoing search for the suspected killer of a Puna patrol officer.
Hawaii Police Department Maj. Samuel Jelsma, the Puna district commander, said that because of a case of mistaken identity, the search for Justin Waiki, the 33-year-old suspected of killing officer Branson Kaimana Kaliloa on Tuesday, was impeded for several hours.
Although citizens reported that Waiki had been spotted in Kailua-Kona, leading to a car chase and an eventual arrest of Hilo residents Harvey Damo, Jr. and Shevylyn Klaus, Maj. Sam Thomas said police are unsure of Waiki’s whereabouts on the island. However, Jelsma said Waiki was last believed to be on the east side of the island.
“Of course, we’re getting reports from all over,” Jelsma said.
Jelsma said police will follow up on every tip received about Waiki’s whereabouts, but will attempt to prioritize more plausible leads.
Despite the case of mistaken identity on Thursday, Thomas said residents should not be reticent to report suspicious activity.
“It’s better to call and be wrong than to not call at all,” Thomas said, adding that in the case of Thursday’s incident, the report led to an arrest.
“When ordinary people see suspicious behavior, they’re usually right about it,” Thomas said.
However, Jelsma said, concerned citizens wishing to help police should direct their tips to the police directly, rather than post them on social media.
“People can be unwittingly giving information to the very people we’re trying to catch,” Thomas said.
Thomas and Jelsma both cautioned against updating social media with reports on police activity because the fugitive or his accomplices can easily monitor the same social media reports and rob the police of the element of surprise — or worse, directly endanger officers.
Thomas also said there is precedent for fugitives or accomplices to post deliberately misleading information or make false tips to divert police resources.
“No matter what we say, people are going to post what they want to post on social media,” Jelsma said. “I know that people are just trying to be helpful, but it can cause more problems.”
The need to conserve police resources is still more pressing after Thursday’s incident, with two officers placed on administrative leave after discharging firearms during the pursuit of the alleged car thieves. After Tuesday’s shooting incident, a total of four officers are now on leave.
Thomas said the officers on leave will return to duty after an internal review of the incidents and psychological examinations of the officers.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com