

There really is no defense,” said Seitz in the interview with the Star-Advertiser “The senior (police) officer knew the driver, and they had a feud. The police seem to be enough concerned that nobody has come out and made some sort of halfhearted defense of the police. “Cops chased them, ran them off the road, and then the cops took off.
#Honolulu traffic accident driver
The 14-year-old was paralyzed from the neck down, intubated and unable to speak, and the driver of the car is currently on life support, according to Seitz. They were told, “What you mean? You should know,” according to Seitz. The senior police officer who responded to the scene knew the driver of the second car and allegedly had a dispute with him, Seitz said.Ī high-speed chase on Farrington Highway ensued, and officers allegedly forced the the car off the road and then fled the scene of the crash, which destroyed a concrete wall and scattered debris and passengers over a residential property.Īfter a witness called 911, the officers returned to the scene and and started to ask victims and witnesses what happened. The people with whom the 14-year-old went to the beach left without him, Seitz said, so the boy jumped into another vehicle after convincing its driver to give him a ride. In the case of the Makaha car crash, Seitz said his client was partying with friends early Sunday morning at Maili Beach Park when police officers arrived to break up the gathering. In part, my belief that federal intervention and oversight is necessary stems from the overt and highly unprincipled acts and statements of local politicians and leaders that continue to support the police and refuse to hold them meaningfully accountable.” “I believe that public opinion in Honolulu overwhelmingly has expressed concerns about the willingness and ability of the department and current city and county leadership to confront and find solutions for the problems we have been experiencing here.
#Honolulu traffic accident professional
“In my professional and personal opinions, there is at least as much need and urgency to assert forms of oversight regarding the Honolulu Police Department at this juncture in our history,” read the letter. “In addition to increased uses of force, the Honolulu Police Department has been seriously understaffed and mired in controversies involving corruption and poor performances of even the most routine law enforcement tasks,” wrote Seitz. Kealoha and investigations into allegations of the misappropriation of federal pandemic relief funds and overtime abuses that contributed to the abrupt resignation of former Chief Susan Ballard. In his letter to DOJ, Seitz cited the federal imprisonment of former Chief Louis M. Philips’ office and the DOJ’s Washington, D.C., public affairs office did not reply to Star-Advertiser questions about what, if anything, came of the request outlined in Seitz’s letter. The FBI’s Honolulu field office declined comment. Officials with the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers also did not reply to a request for comment or questions about whether the officers sought union assistance with the incident. Vanic did not respond to a Star-Advertiser request for an interview about Seitz’s request for a federal probe or the allegations against the three officers involved in Sunday’s crash. “The Justice Department has all kinds of opportunities, because they provide federal funding, to provide oversight and demand accountability.” I think the feds need to step in immediately,” said Seitz in an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “In Honolulu we have a police department that is literally corrupt and lawless. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Judith A. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights division, requesting federal oversight of HPD management and operations by obtaining a consent decree or other form of federal relief.įollowing the crash and alleged HPD cover-up, Seitz reached out to acting U.S. Seitz, who has practiced law for 52 years, sent a letter dated July 6 to Deputy Attorney General Kristen Clarke, head of the U.S. The 14-year-old boy remains paralyzed from the neck down, intubated and unable to speak, and the driver of the car is on life support, said Seitz.

Seitz, who is representing the boy’s family. The trio of District 8 patrol officers are the subject of criminal and administrative investigations after they allegedly chased a vehicle carrying a 14-year-old boy and five others who were partying at Maili Beach Park, according to police and attorney Eric A. The case of three Honolulu police officers facing possible criminal charges for allegedly fleeing the scene of a critical accident following a high-speed pursuit renewed calls for federal oversight of the department.
