On Thursday, April 28, Hawai‘i Island police arrested two women and two men considered armed and dangerous.

Police received information regarding the whereabouts of a stolen vehicle on Kalara Street, in Kea‘au. As officers were preparing to converge onto the commercial property, the stolen vehicle exited onto Kalara Street. The operator, identified as 44-year-old Kiha Rodney Stone Kaahu, accelerated to avoid police and drove the stolen vehicle across Kipimana Street into the field of a nearby nursery. Moments later, Kaahu and his female passenger, 39-year-old Maria Kaululani Moala, were arrested as they attempted to flee the immobilized stolen vehicle.

While further investigating at the Kalara Street business, police spotted another stolen vehicle was approaching the area. Upon seeing police, the stolen vehicle operator immediately turned around and fled the area at a high speed down Kipimana Street. Police were able to identify the operator as 48-year-old John Patrick Rapozo. A short time later the vehicle was involved in a traffic casualty near the intersection of Route 11 and Highway 139; the stolen vehicle left the scene and began traveling back towards Hilo. Shortly thereafter, witnesses observed Rapozo abandoning the vehicle on Shipman property off of Kipimana Street, opposite the entrance to the Shipman Industrial Park.

Police immediately created a perimeter of the wooded area where Rapozo was last seen.  He was located hiding in the center-median area of Highway 11 and Kipimana Street and was arrested without further incident.

Both stolen vehicles were recovered as evidence while detectives obtain search warrants.

Tiarre R.M.K. Kobayashi, age 23, was also arrested on Kalara Street, for numerous outstanding warrants.  Kaahu, Moala, and Rapozo were arrested for offenses related to being within the stolen vehicles. Ropozo was also arrested for outstanding warrants.

Upon execution of the search warrants on the stolen vehicles, detectives will confer with the County Prosecutors Office to discuss appropriate charges of the involved persons in this investigation.