Kailua-Kona man charged in connection with parking lot robbery

KAILUA-KONA — A Kailua-Kona man has been charged with robbery and unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle after an attempt to rob a woman at a car in a downtown parking lot over the weekend.

The incident occurred about 4 a.m. Sunday in the area of Coconut Grove, 75-5809 Alii Drive. According to Hawaii Police, the 31-year-old victim was confronted by the suspect, later identified as 34-year-old Bryan Punihaole, as she entered the passenger-side of the vehicle.

However, Punihaole forced the door open, reached into the car and forcefully removed a bag containing the vehicle keys from the woman’s hands, police added.

“As the victim attempted to retrieve her keys from Punihaole, he brandished a small, sharp object and began thrusting the object towards the victim,” police stated in a press release Monday. “Punihaole then attempted to flee the immediate area on foot however he was apprehended by uninvolved individuals and held until officers’ arrival.”

Punihaole was arrested for robbery and taken to the Kealakehe Police Station pending an investigation by detectives with the Area II Criminal Investigation Section.

As officers conducted their investigation, they learned that before the robbery incident Punihaole was observed throwing a rock through the windshield of a vehicle that was parked and unattended in the same parking lot. He then allegedly entered the vehicle, causing damage in an attempt to start it, however, he was not successful.

On Monday, Punihaole was charged with second-degree robbery and two counts of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle. The Kailua-Kona man is scheduled for an initial appearance in District Court Tuesday morning. Bail has been set at $9,000.

Anyone with information about this incident should call the department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311 or contact Detective Pernell Hanoa of the Area II Criminal Investigation Section at 326-4646, ext. 281, or Pernell.Hanoa@hawaiicounty.gov.