A 27-year-old Kona man was indicted Wednesday on two dozen charges stemming from an alleged armed robbery that was followed by a car crash and the man reportedly shooting at a police officer.
Dyllan Paulo-Leslie appeared before Kona District Court Judge Kimberly Taniyama for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday following his arrest Thursday night after allegedly robbing at gun point Rainbow Cafe in the Kaloko Light Industrial Park before being involved in a traffic collision and then shooting at a responding Hawaii Police Department officer. He also appeared for a non-related cases involving unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and fraud.
During a recess in the Kona proceedings, a Hilo grand jury handed down the indictment, which would normally suspend the preliminary hearing and remand the case to Circuit Court. However, because the indictment had not yet been filed with the court as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, Taniyama continued the case to today.
According to testimony given by Hawaii Police Department officers, shortly after 8 p.m. on Thursday at Rainbow Cafe on Kauhola Street in the Kaloko Light Industrial Park, responding officers learned the suspect, described as a man armed with a firearm wearing dark clothing and a face covering, entered the establishment through a back door and brandished the firearm, pointing it at three kitchen employees, asking “where’s the money”? Police said he then entered the dining/register area and removed approximately $1,000 contained in a metal safe and blue bag from the service counter area as 10 patrons and employees fled the area. Court documents state he also took a minor’s backpack that contained homework, a school-issued laptop and a flute.
The man then fled the scene in a gray lifted pickup truck with a female passenger, later identified as 34-year-old Brittany Johnson of Holualoa. As the vehicle fled the area, an officer observed the truck driving recklessly heading east on Hina Lani. While attempting to catch up to the vehicle the officer observed that it had been involved in a traffic collision with another vehicle at the intersection of Highway 190 and Hina Lani Street, rendering both vehicles inoperable.
As the officer arrived at the scene of the crash, he observed Johnson crawl out of the passenger side window and the driver, later identified as Paulo-Leslie exit the vehicle, taking cover behind the truck. He told the defendant to show his hands, however Paulo-Leslie did not comply, but fired a shot that “narrowly missed” the officer and struck the rear driver’s side tire of the patrol vehicle. As the officer called for assistance, Paulo-Leslie and Johnson fled the area on foot.
Responding patrol units located the pair a short time later and Paulo-Leslie and Johnson were taken into custody without further incident.
The driver of the other vehicle, a 51-year-old Kailua-Kona woman, was not injured.
The Hawaii Police Department’s Area II Criminal Investigation Section detectives responded to the scenes where they recovered video from surveillance cameras from the restaurant and impounded the truck.
A search warrant was later served on Johnson’s vehicle where a firearm, ammunition, drugs, and items removed from the robbery were reportedly recovered.
Paulo-Leslie is charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree reckless endangering, first-degree robbery, second-degree theft, first-degree criminal property damage, driving without a license, inattention to driving, second-degree promoting a dangerous drug and three counts first-degree terroristic threatening. In addition he faces a slew of firearms offenses, including four counts ownership or possession of a firearm when prohibited due to previous felony conviction, manufacturing, purchasing, or obtaining firearm parts to assemble a firearm having no serial number, and two counts each use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony, carrying or possessing a loaded firearm on a public highway, place to keep pistol or revolver and place to keep ammunition.
According to the indictment, Paulo-Leslie is subject to extended terms of imprisonment, having six prior felony convictions including second-degree escape, unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle along with drug and theft convictions.
Paulo-Leslie is being held on $1.455 million bail. A warrant will be issued after indictment and his case will be heard in Circuit Court.
Johnson was released pending investigation.
Paulo-Leslie was also charged for outstanding offenses, including unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, first-degree theft, and discharge of sureties from unrelated incidents. Hearings on those charges were also held on Wednesday.
Email Laura Ruminski at lruminski@westhawaiitoday.com.