On Tuesday in Kahului, Maui Police responded to reports of a suspicious device on the road, initially thought to be an Improvised Explosive Device, defusing a potentially dangerous situation. A post on the Maui Police Department's official Facebook page detailed the incident, which led to the closure of Lono Avenue and the precautionary evacuation of nearby residents.

According to Maui Police Department's statement in their social media, the incident began at 7:51 a.m. near the intersection of Lono Avenue and Hina Avenue, which is close to Kahului Elementary School, officers arrived at the scene and located the suspicious item on the shoulder of the road by 7:53 a.m., they had closed off the area between Hina Avenue and Laau Street and began evacuating residents, unfortunately, for those unable to leave due to medical or other serious reasons, officers advised sheltering in place. During the event, no children were present on the school campus due to the Summer Pals Program staff being alerted in a timely manner.

The situation was meticulously handled by the Maui Police Special Response Team alongside a Bomb Technician, who utilized an X-ray procedure and a water disruption shot to render the device safe. What initially seemed to be an Improvised Explosive Device was, upon closer inspection, found to likely be an improvised pyrotechnic device instead of a true Improvised Explosive Device, mitigating concerns of a broader threat.

It was by 11:36 a.m. that the police gave the all-clear for residents to return home, with traffic on Lono Avenue resuming, and the community's heartbeat steadying back to normal rhythms, the incident, serving as a solemn reminder, of the real dangers that such devices pose, no matter their intended use, the police urge the public to remain vigilant and to contact authorities rather than handling suspicious objects themselves.