CAPTAIN COOK, Hawaiʻi – A wanted fugitive was arrested and charged with more than a dozen offenses on Thursday, June 5, 2025, following a crime spree in the Captain Cook area on Wednesday that culminated in an officer-involved shooting. The suspect, 28-year-old Junson Heckerz of Ocean View, had been featured on the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s “Hawaii’s Most Wanted” program since April.
The series of incidents began on Wednesday morning, June 4, at approximately 8:30 a.m., when Kona patrol officers responded to a reported traffic collision at the intersection of Papalani Road and Māmalahoa Highway near the Miloli‘i Junction in Captain Cook. Simultaneously, officers received a report from a Captain Cook man who stated he had located his stolen Volkswagen sedan, which was disabled in the roadway with a man, later identified as Heckerz, in the driver’s seat. After both men exited their vehicles, Heckerz allegedly entered the victim’s Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) and fled the scene.
The crime spree continued, with police dispatch receiving a call at approximately 10:11 a.m. about a man attempting to remove a Toyota pickup truck from a residence in the 88-1400 block of Māmalahoa Highway, about three-quarters of a mile from the initial incident. The suspect fled after being confronted by the vehicle’s owner, who alerted neighbors.
At 11:50 a.m., while officers were investigating the earlier incidents, a trespassing report came in from a nearby property in the 89-1400 block of Anapuka Road, about half a mile from the 10:11 a.m. incident. The description of the trespassing suspect matched Heckerz.
Officer-Involved Shooting Incident
The situation escalated at 1:15 p.m. with a report of an active burglary in the same general area, in the 89-1200 block of Māmalahoa Highway. As officers were en route, they received a description of the suspect canvasing the property, again matching Heckerz. Upon arrival, officers observed Heckerz inside the driver’s seat of the property owner’s Cadillac.
When an officer attempted to make contact, Heckerz began rapidly reversing down a long driveway in an effort to evade police. He then rapidly accelerated the stolen vehicle toward the officer, forcing the officer to jump out of the way as the vehicle sped past him towards a metal gate. The vehicle crashed through the metal gate at a high rate of speed, nearly striking a third police vehicle and propelling the gate into a parked vehicle. Simultaneously, a second officer, who was standing just outside the metal gate, discharged two rounds at the Cadillac. Heckerz then lost control of the vehicle, which crossed the roadway and crashed into a ditch.
Officers immediately rendered aid and detained Heckerz, who was not struck by the officer’s bullets and sustained no injuries from the crash. There were no passengers in Heckerz’s vehicle, and no officers were injured.
While officers were still at the scene of the shooting, a neighbor from the 10:11 a.m. incident reported a burglary at their residence earlier in the day. Police are currently investigating to determine if this burglary is connected to the other incidents.
Charges Filed and Bail Set
On Thursday, June 5, at 6:45 a.m., after conferring with the Hawaiʻi County Prosecutor’s Office, Area II Criminal Investigation Section detectives formally charged Junson Heckerz with fifteen offenses. His total bail was set at $293,100. Heckerz remains in police custody pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Thursday, June 5, in Kona District Court.
The charges against Heckerz include:
- Three outstanding warrants (totaling $7,100 in bail)
- Three counts of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle (auto theft)
- Two counts of first-degree theft
- First-degree attempted theft
- First-degree burglary
- Unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle (UEMV)
- Second-degree reckless endangering
- Resist order to stop a motor vehicle
- Fourth-degree theft
- Fourth-degree criminal property damage (CPD)
Internal Review Initiated
The Hawaiʻi Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards has initiated a critical incident review into the officer-involved shooting, which is standard practice. The officer who discharged his firearm has been with the department for just under two years and is assigned to the Kona patrol division. He has been placed on administrative leave to ensure he is mentally, emotionally, and physically able to return to work.
This investigation remains ongoing. Police urge anyone who may have witnessed any of these incidents or has information about additional incidents in the area to call the department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or contact Detective Donovan Kohara of the Area II Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 326-4646 ext. 238 or via email at Donovan.kohara@hawaiicounty.gov.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe; it does not record calls or subscribe to caller ID, and all information is kept confidential.