Hawaii

Hawaii mahunt for felon out on bail ends in fatal police shootout

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2024

Hawaii mahunt for felon out on bail ends in fatal police shootout

Sidney Tafokitau, a felon prohibited from owning a high-powered rifle, triggered an islandwide manhunt in Hawaii on New Year’s Day.
Tafokitau allegedly shot a woman, carjacked another at gunpoint and engaged in a shootout with Honolulu police that wounded two officers.
Court records reveal Tafokitau’s criminal history, including a 20-year prison sentence for robbery and prior gun convictions.

The subject of an islandwide manhunt New Year’s Day in Hawaii was a felon barred from owning the high-powered rifle he used to open fire on Honolulu police in a shootout that left two officers wounded and the suspect dead, court records show.

Sidney Tafokitau was accused of shooting a woman and carjacking another woman at gunpoint before leading officers on a chase around the island of Oahu. He also had posted bail just two weeks prior on gun-related charges.

The fallout from the dramatic pursuit continued days later, as police faced criticism for the pursuit and for not alerting the public as the situation unfolded.

HAWAII MAN ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTED MURDER STEALS CAR AT GUNPOINT, DIES AFTER FIREFIGHT WITH POLICE

“I think in the past 48 hours there’s been a lot of talk about how the system failed,” Doug Chin, chair of the Honolulu Police Commission and Hawaii’s former attorney general, told The Associated Press Wednesday. “I hear reports that, you know, his bail was too low, he had an unregistered firearm, the public release of information was inadequate or even that he should not have been chased at all.”

Honolulu police assess the scene around a stolen vehicle stolen on University Avenue on Jan. 1, 2024, in Honolulu. Authorities in Hawaii say a man shot and wounded a woman, stole a car at gunpoint and was later killed in a shootout with police that left two officers wounded. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP)

But it’s too soon to point to anything until there’s more information, he said, noting that it will likely be discussed at this month’s commission meeting. “I think the entire system is tested when you have a very, very serious situation like this,” he said.

Court records show a long criminal history for Tafokitau, including a 20-year prison sentence for robbery and convictions for gun crimes. In November, he pleaded not guilty to a slew of firearms charges, including possessing a firearm as a felon. He was out on $75,000 bail, which had been reduced from $150,000. State Public Defender Jon Ikegana, whose office represented him, declined to comment Wednesday.

In mid-December, Honolulu police asked for the public’s help in locating Tafokitau, called him armed and dangerous, and said he committed a shooting and stabbing.

2 DEAD, 2 INJURED NEAR HONOLULU AFTER SHOOTING BREAKS OUT AT BOAT HARBOR

After Monday’s shootout culminated near the University of Hawaii’s main campus, Honolulu Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan defended not issuing alerts. He said police didn’t want the public getting involved in the chase he described as “fluid” and which moved rapidly across the island.

Tafokitau was using an unregistered AR-15 type rifle, police said in a statement. A spokesperson with the Honolulu Police Department didn’t address an inquiry from the AP asking for a response to criticism about the chase that has been described as taking place at high speeds at times.

Police also said a woman who was shot before the pursuit Monday, as well as the two officers wounded in the shootout, remained hospitalized Wednesday evening. The wounded officers were expected to recover.

Former Honolulu Police Deputy Chief John McCarthy told Hawaii News Now officers endangered others by engaging in the pursuit.

“They forgot their basic mission to protect life and property,” he told the Honolulu news stations. “They endangered life and property.”

Hawaii News Now reported motorist Erin Valentine was carjacked when Tafokitau was involved in a crash during the pursuit in Kaneohe, a Honolulu suburb.

“He opened up the car door and just lifted up the gun straight to my face and just said, ‘Get out,’” she told the TV station.

Hawaii’s statewide police union and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi defended the officers.

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“Without our officers’ courageous actions and sacrifice, the situation could have been far worse,” Blangiardi said.

Officers, who had already been on the lookout for him for the December shooting and stabbing and for the Monday shooting, needed to pursue him to apprehend him, said Honolulu Lt. Robert Cavaco, president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers.

“For our officers, it was a very hard situation to deal with because he shot at them at multiple locations during the pursuit,” Cavaco said.

Chin, the police commission chair, noted how shocking the situation was in a city and state with historically low violent crime rates per capita compared to other parts of the U.S.

“What strikes me as extreme is the duration of the crime spree, the number of different incidents involved and the many different locations where the suspect ended up on Oahu,” Chin said.

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Hawaii

Hawaii senator introduces bill to reunite, protect immigrant families

Published

1 hour ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Hawaii senator introduces bill to reunite, protect immigrant families

WASHINGTON, D.C. (HawaiiNewsNow) – U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) reintroduced a piece of legislation on Thursday to strengthen protections for immigrant families and address long-standing problems in the family immigration system.

The Reuniting Families Act aims to reduce visa backlogs, boost efficiency across the immigration process, and ensure a fairer, more humane process for immigrant families.

“Immigrant families currently experience unnecessary obstacles and delays due to our country’s broken immigration system, keeping families separated for potentially long periods of time,” Hirono said. “By reducing family-based immigration backlogs and making common sense updates to how we treat families, the Reuniting Families Act will help take the first step in the right direction to keeping families together as they navigate our immigration system.”

According to the senators behind this bill, nearly four million people with approved visa applications are currently trapped in a massive immigration backlog, with many waiting more than a decade to reunite with their loved ones.

“As Donald Trump’s inhumane mass deportation campaign rips apart families and communities across the country, it’s paramount we address the unnecessary barriers in our immigration system that have created backlogs and kept families apart for years,” Duckworth said. “Our legislation would implement commonsense reforms to help end family-based backlogs, which keep too many with approved green card applications stuck in bureaucratic limbo, and help get more families where they belong—together.”

The Reuniting Families Act would shorten delays by recapturing unused visas, rolling them into future years, expanding who qualifies as a family member to include permanent partners, and increasing both the total number of available family preference visas and per-country limits.

The bill would also put a time limit on visa processing, so no applicant has to wait more than 10 years for a visa if they have an approved application.

Click here to read the full bill.

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Hawaii

Rouhliadeff scores 16, Hawaii beats D-II Hawaii Hilo 98-46

Published

13 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Rouhliadeff scores 16, Hawaii beats D-II Hawaii Hilo 98-46

HONOLULU (AP) — Henry Rouhliadeff scored 16 points to lead six Hawaii players in double figures and the Rainbow Warriors beat Division-II Hawaii Hilo 98-46 on Wednesday night.

Rouhliadeff made 6 of 9 from the field and finished with nine rebounds and five assists. Dre Bullock scored 12 points for Hawaii (9-2) and Hunter Erickson, Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, Gytis Nemeiksa and Isaac Finlinson added 11 points apiece.

Jamal Entezami led Hawaii Hilo with 11 points and Jessiya Villa scored 10.

Hawaii shot 51% overall and made 13 3-pointers. The Rainbow Warriors, who went into the game averaging 13.4 assists per game, had a season-high 25 assists on 35 made field goals.

The 52-point margin of victory was Hawaii’s largest since a 106-49 win over Redlands on Jan. 28, 1972, and the third largest in program history. The Rainbow Warriors beat BYU Hawaii by 67 (106-49) in the 1962-63 season.

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Hawaii

Chef Sam Choy: America’s best poke not from Hawaii is a ‘slap in the face’

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Chef Sam Choy: America’s best poke not from Hawaii is a ‘slap in the face’

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Poke is a dish created by Native Hawaiians and perfected by local immigrants. But according to online reviews, the best poke in the country is not from Hawaii. And one world-renowned chef who’s credited with poke’s popularity calls it a “slap in the face.”

People are willing to stand in long lines every day for poke. So to say the best in the country is not in Hawaii – that’s fighting words for some.

“So for you to say that, yeah, I kinda like scrap kine,” said Branden Machado, poke connoisseur.

“Nah, I laugh, I laugh,” said Mike Sablay, poke connoisseur.

The restaurant in Big Bear, California, is called Tropicali and was recently reported to have America’s best poke, based on Yelp.

“When I heard that, I was very upset, because I well know, and as you well know, and our millions of listeners and watchers of our station, they well know that the best poke is in Hawaii,” said Sam Choy, world-renowned celebrity chef/restaurateur.

“When I read that, I felt a little slighted,” said Chris Kam, Alicia’s Market. “Understandable, people from the mainland don’t really know what Hawaiian poke is about.”

With a large shark’s head as the front entrance, the decor – just like the menu – is said to be based on Hawaiian culture, but not to emulate it. So poke there – and elsewhere on the continent – looks much different from the poke bowls we’re used to seeing in Hawaii.

“It came with cucumbers, it came with won ton strips, I ordered the spicy one, so it came with the spicy sauce, and then I ordered unagi sauce on the side, and it tasted so good,” said one anonymous local who tried Tropicali and liked it. “It tasted so fresh, I was so surprised it was crazy.”

“That’s not poke, that’s like a salad,” said Kam.

“Nah, nothing can beat back home,” said Sablay. “Everything over here is like the best. Everything’s all local, everything’s all fresh.”

“Like on Oahu, we have the freshest fish, we have the best recipes, like and it’s not only us,” said Justin Tanioka, Tanioka’s Seafood & Catering. “It’s other companies around the island that have mastered poke.”

Since this is a Yelp award, having great Yelp reviews does help. Tropicali currently has more than 4,000 reviews and maintains a 4.9 Star rating. However, locals say to declare themselves the best in the country for a food that’s not only born in Hawaii, but beloved in Hawaii, is extremely bold.

“It’s definitely a slap in the face for all the poke makers in Hawaii who work unbelievably hard to create their magical dishes,” said Choy. “Two things. One, we use fresh fish. And the other one is tender loving care, TLC is in there. We’re putting our heart and soul in that. We’re representing our history, we’re representing our aina, we’re representing all the people in the past that made poke.”

“It’s all preference, and you know where you are,” said Tanioka. “But to me, the best poke in the world, honestly, is in Oahu.”

“Cuz check that out, Big Bear ain’t got nothing on this, my cuz,” said Machado. “We get the best poke in the world. Bumbye, we teach you.”

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