Honolulu's brush with danger unfolded in residential Puna on Saturday when an active burglary spiraled into a high-adrenaline chase. As reported by Hawaii Police Department, 33-year-old Gilbert K. Mata III was apprehended and charged with an array of offenses including drug-related crimes and violation of property after the police responded to a civilian's burglary alert at a home in Hawaiian Paradise Park Subdivision.
Law enforcement swiftly reacted to the situation on August 24, when witnessing a vehicle, linked directly to Mata, making a dangerously hasty departure. Officers tried to intercept the heavily tinted Toyota Tacoma but were led on a slow pursuit which later saw both Mata and a female accomplice attempting to desperately flee on foot, only to be caught a short way into the bushes.
Following Mata's arrest, a court appearance was swiftly on the cards by Monday afternoon, August 26. Bail was set high at $240,000 as the suspect faced charges ranging from "unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle" to "third-degree promoting a dangerous drug," with four counts to his name in that category alone, as mentioned in the Nixle release, as per
Detectives managed to to quickly execute search warrants on both the recovered vehicle and the dropped backpacks, uncovering smaller quantities of methamphetamine and evidence of fentanyl. Carolyn Samson, identified as the female party involved, was released pending investigation. Mata, already facing a substantial bail, now confronts the legal system in a case that has quite vividly highlighted the intertwining threads of drug offenses and property crimes in Hawaii Police Department.
Anyone with information or insights into this incident is actively encouraged to get in touch with Detective Jeremy Kubojiri of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section by calling (808) 961-2378, or by reaching out through email at [email protected], leaving the community to step forward as the case unfolds.
