After a year of scrutiny, Honolulu prosecutors have decided that officers were justified in fatally shooting a driver in Mākaha, closing the book on a high-profile 2025 police encounter that began with a stolen truck and ended with a burning patrol car and a man dead.
The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office announced Wednesday that no criminal charges will be filed against the officers involved in the June 2025 shooting of 38-year-old Iosua Stevens, who was hit by police gunfire and later died after allegedly ramming a Honolulu Police Department vehicle with a stolen pickup that then caught fire.
Prosecutor's Ruling and Quote
Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said his office’s independent review concluded the officers acted lawfully when they opened fire, and that the use of deadly force met the legal standard for self-defense. Alm called the outcome “unfortunate” but also said Stevens “brought his death on himself,” according to KITV. Prosecutors said the review took about a year to complete.
The Scene
Police said officers in an unmarked HPD vehicle were tailing a stolen white Ford pickup along Hana Street when they tried to pull the driver over near the intersection of Hana and Orange streets. According to investigators, the driver suddenly threw the truck in reverse and rammed the unmarked police car, which then caught fire. One officer was briefly trapped in the burning vehicle before both officers fired their weapons. Investigators later said roughly eight rounds were discharged in the exchange, as reported by Civil Beat.
Evidence and Medical Findings
Investigators reported that Stevens was struck by three bullets, hitting his back, shoulder and head. A search of the burned-out pickup turned up a machete and a glass pipe. Toxicology tests showed no illicit drugs in Stevens’ system, according to KITV.
Warrants and Criminal History
Police records showed Stevens had multiple outstanding felony warrants at the time of the shooting and prior convictions that included theft, terroristic threatening and drug offenses. Authorities previously said the outstanding warrants totaled about $111,000, according to Hawaii News Now.
Legal Standard and What It Means
Under Hawaii law, deadly force is considered legally justified when a person reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent death or serious bodily injury. That standard is set out in HRS §703-304. Prosecutors said they applied that statute in evaluating the shooting, and that HPD’s own use-of-force policy guides both internal and external reviews of officer-involved shootings; see the Hawaii Revised Statutes section HRS §703-304 and the Honolulu Police Department use of force policy.
Community Reaction and Next Steps
In the months after the shooting, Stevens’ family members and Westside community leaders pushed for transparency, calling for the release of body-worn camera footage and investigative records, according to local reporting. With the Prosecutor’s Office now closing its criminal review and HPD saying its internal administrative review is complete, the criminal case is officially closed. Even so, community groups say they plan to keep pressing for the release of records tied to the shooting, according to Hawaii News Now.
