Hilo man dies in police custody

A 63-year-old Hilo man died Sunday morning after being taken into police custody.

Hilo patrol officers responded to a motorcycle crash at 3:10 p.m. Saturday and determined that the driver of a 2003 Kawasaki motorcycle that was traveling west on Maka‘ala Street had rear-ended a Toyota sedan and was thrown from his motorcycle.

The driver of the motorcycle, who refused medical treatment, was taken into custody at 3:35 p.m. and was charged with driving under the influence of an intoxicant, driving without a license and driving without insurance.

The man, who was unable to post the $1,250 bail, was placed into a single occupancy cell.

At 10:20 p.m. he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Hilo police cellblock. Fire and rescue personnel were immediately called and the man was taken to Hilo Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 4:40 a.m. Sunday.

His death has been classified as an unattended death. The investigation is being conducted by detectives with the department’s Criminal Investigations Section. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.

His name is being withheld pending notification of family members.

A standard administrative investigation is also being conducted by the internal affairs division to determine if department policies and procedures were adhered to surrounding the circumstances of the man’s confinement.