A Puna man and woman were arrested Tuesday after police were assaulted while attempting to serve several warrants on a fugitive in Pahoa.
A Puna man and woman were arrested Tuesday after police were assaulted while attempting to serve several warrants on a fugitive in Pahoa.
Shortly before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, officers arrived at a Pahoa Village property seeking 35-year-old Gustavus Morante, of Pahoa, who was wanted on four outstanding bench warrants. He was spotted running into the garage after a woman opened the door and let him in, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
When police attempted to arrest the man, a struggle ensued with Morante elbowing and punching two officers in the face. Morante also grabbed at an officer’s firearm and “Taser,” which were secured in their holsters, but was unsuccessful at removing them.
The woman grabbed an officer’s arms and attempted to pull him off the suspect to help Morante escape, police said.
The officers were treated by Hawaii Fire Department medics for minor injuries.
Morante and the woman, identified as 29-year-old Minne Ann Silva, also of Pahoa, were taken into custody.
Morante was initially arrested and charged with two counts of failure to appear and two counts of contempt of court with bail set at $900. He was later charged with the additional offenses of resisting arrest and two felony counts of assaulting a police officer. His bail on those offenses was set at $21,000.
Silva was charged with hindering prosecution, a misdemeanor. Her bail was set at $1,000.