Hawai‘i Island police arrested and charged 43-year-old Kalani Rocky Nobriga of Pahoa and 40-year-old Anthony Romero Gonsalves of Mountain View in connection with a violent downtown Hilo robbery.
Early Saturday morning, South Hilo patrol officers responded to a disturbance on the 400 block of Kilauea Avenue involving a man with a gun chasing people.
A 35-year-old male victim reported that a vehicle containing three males began yelling and threatening people in the area. The man stated he attempted to deescalate the situation, when one man, later identified as Gonsalves, retrieved a pistol from the vehicle and began threatening people.
Officers located the vehicle, and subsequently arrested Nobriga, Gonsalves, and 28-year-old Isaiah Lane Kamaka Rosa, of Mountain View. Upon arrest, Gonsalves was in possession of Glock-type pistol and Rosa was found to have approximately 6.3 grams of marijuana on his person. The pistol, which appeared to be a real gun, was later determined to be a BB gun.
As officers continued to investigate, additional victims reported that the three men had stolen their property. Officers were able to observe some of the items in plain view, within the vehicle.
The vehicle was recovered pending issuance and execution of a search warrant.
Officers also learned that a 56-year-old man was struck with a baseball bat by Nobriga. The man was not seriously injured and was treated at the scene.
Upon execution of the search warrant on the vehicle, detectives with the Area I Criminal Investigation Section recovered the following items:
- Stolen backpack
- Stolen portable radio
- Baseball bat
- 16.6 grams methamphetamine
- Digital scale
- Drug paraphernalia
Upon conferral with the County of Hawai‘i Prosecutors Office, the men were charged the following:
Nobriga was charged with:
- First-degree promotion of a dangerous drug
- Second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug
- Two counts of third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug
- Fourth-degree promotion of a harmful drug
- Third-degree assault
His bail was set at $198,000:
Gonsalves was charged with two counts first-degree robbery. His bail was set at $100,000:
In addition to the arrest of Nobriga, Gonsalves, and Rosa, a 46-year-old man was also arrested for disorderly conduct; however, he was later determined to be a victim of robbery in this case, and was released pending further investigation.
Police ask anyone who may have witnessed this incident to call Detective David Po‘ohina of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2385, or via email at David.Poohina@hawaiicounty.gov.
HPD Photo