BRUCE
A judge on Tuesday maintained bail for a 24-year-old Mountain View man accused of stealing a car, which reportedly led to the assault of two police officers and damage to the stolen car and a taxpayer-subsidized police vehicle Sunday morning in Kurtistown.
Hayden E. Bruce is charged with first-degree theft, auto theft, first-degree property damage, leaving after striking an unattended vehicle or property, driving without a license, two counts of first-degree assault of a police officer, carrying or possessing a loaded firearm on a public roadway, and four other firearms-related offenses, plus two counts of violating terms of release.
According to police, at 8:16 a.m. Sunday, dispatchers received a report of a gray Kia Soul being driven recklessly on Highway 11 toward Keaau. The witness provided dispatchers with the Kia’s license plate number and updates, including that the vehicle had parked in front of a convenience store in Kurtistown.
A check of the license plate determined that the Kia had been reported stolen in Hilo in November.
When officers arrived, Bruce allegedly was in the driver’s seat of the stolen car and its sole occupant.
Officers ordered him to get out of the car and he allegedly refused. When an officer opened the driver’s side door to remove Bruce from the vehicle, Bruce allegedly reversed at a high rate of speed, forcing the officer to jump into the moving vehicle to avoid serious injury. A second officer attempting to assist was injured by the reversing car, police said.
The stolen Kia then collided with a taxpayer-subsidized police vehicle parked several feet behind it. Officers were subsequently able to remove Bruce from the vehicle and place him under arrest. His bail was set at $104,200.
According to police, the officers — identified in the complaint as Dustin Medeiros and Alipate Moleni — sustained minor injuries. They were treated at the scene.
A cross-body bag worn by Bruce was recovered as evidence, police said. A search warrant was executed on the bag, resulting in the recovery of a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. A separate search warrant executed on the stolen vehicle led to the recovery of live 9 mm ammunition.
The stolen vehicle was recovered as evidence and towed to the Hilo Police Station. The damaged police-subsidized vehicle was also recovered and towed.
At Bruce’s initial court appearance Tuesday, Hilo District Judge Jeffrey Hawk maintained Bruce’s bail on the new charges at $97,200 — the other $7,000 bail is for violating terms of release on a previous case — and ordered him to appear Thursday for a preliminary hearing.
Bruce remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
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