Hawai‘i Island police arrested and charged four men with a wide range of robbery, assault, and firearms offenses after investigating an armed home invasion robbery that occurred just after midnight on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Laupāhoehoe.
At 12:58 a.m. on Tuesday, June 6, Hāmākua patrol officers responded to a residence located in the 35-1800 block of Mauka Cross Road in Laupāhoehoe after a 65-year-old man reported being bound and robbed at gunpoint. The victim stated that an acquaintance, later identified as 57-year-old Wayne Gonsalves of Mountain View, arrived at his residence shortly after midnight on Tuesday asking about purchasing some tires.
He further related that as he was talking to Gonsalves in the driveway about the tires, two masked suspects assaulted him, with one of them striking him with the butt-end of a shotgun about the body and face.
The victim added that one of the masked suspects held him down while the other masked suspect and Gonsalves entered his residence and removed several items, including a pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle, about $8,000 in US currency, a cellular phone, the victim’s wallet with contents, as well as his 2009 Mercedes sedan. The three men then fled the scene in the pick-up truck they arrived in and the victim’s sedan.
The victim was transported to the Hilo Medical Center for treatment where it was discovered that he sustained substantial injuries, including several broken ribs and a punctured lung.
Later that same day as police continued their investigation into this incident, they located Gonsalves at his residence around 4:15 p.m. and arrested him without incident.
On Thursday, June 8, after conferring with the County Prosecutor’s Office, Gonsalves was charged with the following offenses, and his total bail was set at $210,000.
• First-degree robbery
• First-degree assault
• First-degree burglary
• First-degree unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle (auto theft)
• Three counts of first-degree theft
• Second-degree theft
In the course of their investigation, police identified three additional suspects in the armed home robbery, 48-year-old Paul Abiley Jr. of Pāhoa, 38-year-old Brandon Amituanai, and 41-year-old Tearoarii Viritua, both of Mountain View, who were subsequently arrested and charged.
At 6:05 a.m. on Thursday, June 8, Hawai’i Police Department’s Special Response Team (SRT), executed a high-risk search warrant on Abiley Jr.’s Pāhoa residence, and recovered a stolen pistol, more than 200 rounds of ammunition, over four grams of methamphetamine, more than 27 grams of marijuana, a stolen military-style trailer, and a stolen 2018 Chevy Silverado pick-up truck. Abiley Jr. was subsequently arrested at the residence without incident.
On Friday, June 9, after conferring with the County Prosecutor’s Office, Abiley Jr. was charged with the following offenses, and his total bail was set at $766,000.
• First-degree robbery
• First-degree assault
• First-degree burglary
• First-degree Theft (auto theft)
• Three counts of first-degree firearm theft (for the rifle, shotgun, pistol)
• Second-degree theft
• 17 counts of ownership or possession prohibited
• Possession of prohibited weapons (full-auto pistol)
• Unauthorized possession of personal confidential information
• Two counts of possession of dangerous narcotic (methamphetamine)
• Unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle
• Place to keep (pistol)
• Place to keep (ammunition)
• Deadly weapons prohibited
• Possession of marijuana
Also on Friday, June 9, Amituanai, was arrested off of Ihope Road in Mountain View without incident. After conferring with the County Prosecutor’s Office on Sunday, June 11, Amituanai was charged with the following offenses, and his total bail was set at $210,000.
• First-degree robbery
• First-degree assault
• First-degree burglary
• First-degree theft (auto theft)
• Three counts of first-degree theft (firearm) rifle, shotgun, pistol
• Second-degree theft
Additionally, on Sunday, June 11, HPD’s SRT executed a high-risk search warrant on Viritua’s residence in Mountain View. Viritua was located hiding nearby and subsequently arrested. After executing the search warrant, police investigators recovered a revolver, more than 10 live rounds, over 56 grams of methamphetamine, more than two grams of marijuana concentrate, over two grams of dried marijuana, a stolen 1969 Chevrolet El Camino, a stolen Fecon FTX90L tractor, and the 2009 Mercedes sedan that was stolen from the victim in the June 6, Laupahoehoe home invasion robbery.
After conferring with the County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, June 13, Viritua was charged with the following offenses, and his total bail was set at $102,000.
• First-degree robbery
• First-degree assault
• First-degree burglary
• First-degree auto theft
• Three counts of first-degree firearm theft
• Second-degree theft
• Possession of dangerous narcotic (methamphetamine)
• Possession of marijuana concentrates
All four defendants made their initial court appearances in Hilo District Court on different dates.