A 62-year-old man was getting ready to ride off on his moped outside a Farrington Highway convenience store in Waipahu early Monday morning when two men closed in on him, demanded his bike, and struck him with a weapon after he tried to flee and fell to the ground. The suspects then rode off with his yellow moped, leaving investigators with an active first-degree robbery case and no arrests so far.
According to Honolulu Police, the robbery happened at roughly 3:30 a.m. at the 7-Eleven on Farrington Highway. Police say one suspect demanded the victim's moped and struck him with a weapon after he fell while trying to get away, while the second suspect took the moped and fled westbound on Farrington Highway. The first suspect fled on foot in the same direction, police say.
District 3 officers, who patrol the central Oahu corridor stretching from Red Hill through Aiea, Pearl Harbor, Pearl City, and Waipahu out of the Pearl City station, responded to the scene, according to the Honolulu Police Department. Major felony cases like this one typically move from initial patrol response into the hands of the department's Criminal Investigation Division, which handles detective follow-up and forensic evidence processing, per HPD's own description of how it structures felony investigations.
Why Investigators Call It First-Degree Robbery
Under Hawaii Revised Statutes § 708-840, robbery is elevated to the first-degree charge when a suspect brandishes or uses a dangerous instrument to overcome resistance while stealing property or a vehicle, according to Justia Law. That statute helps explain why police classified the moped theft the way they did, given that a weapon was allegedly used against the victim during the encounter.
The stakes for whoever is eventually caught are steep. A first-degree robbery conviction in Hawaii is a Class A felony that carries a mandatory indeterminate 20-year prison sentence without the possibility of probation under HRS § 706-659, per statutory records cited by LegiScan. No suspects have been identified or arrested, and the investigation remains open, police say.
A Familiar Target for Thieves on Oahu
Mopeds are common theft targets across the island because they are lightweight and easy to move quickly if not secured to something stationary, according to public safety advisories issued by the University of Hawaii at Manoa Department of Public Safety in January. Hawaii lawmakers have tried to make stolen mopeds easier for police to trace: under Act 200, mopeds operating on public roads must undergo annual safety inspections and carry $32.50 registration with visible plates and renewal emblems, per the City and County of Honolulu.
Farrington Highway, where the robbery took place, functions as Waipahu's main commercial corridor, lined with dense housing and 24-hour convenience stores that see steady late-night foot and vehicle traffic, according to City and County of Honolulu planning documents. It is not the first moped-related robbery to hit an Oahu convenience store this year. Hoodline reported that an armed suspect robbed a Kalihi store clerk and fled on a moped during early morning hours in July, prompting a similar first-degree robbery investigation.
How to Report Tips
Anyone with information about the Waipahu robbery is asked to call 911 or CrimeStoppers, police say. CrimeStoppers Honolulu runs an anonymous tip line and accepts reports through its P3 Tips app, offering rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest or the recovery of stolen property in major felony cases. The organization operates independently of taxpayer funding through community donations and processed 3,285 anonymous tips in fiscal year 2025, forwarding 2,979 to law enforcement and contributing to the resolution of 656 criminal cases across Oahu.
It remains unclear whether surveillance cameras at the 7-Eleven captured footage of the two suspects or their exact route after fleeing westbound on Farrington Highway. The extent of the victim's injuries and whether he required medical treatment after the fall and the assault has also not been detailed. Police have not said whether this case is connected to other recent moped-related robberies on the island.
