UPDATE – (5 p.m.) – The Hawaiʻi Police Department reported Palani Road is now open in both directions. 

The closure of the road, which was due to a vehicle crash that occurred early Friday morning, indirectly led to a police-involved shooting when a Volvo C30 drove directly at an officer at the Konalani Street intersection. The 21-year-old driver of the Volvo was not struck by the officer’s bullets, “but sustained a laceration to his head and forearms from broken vehicle glass”, police reported. 

Police say the driver was later arrested for reckless endangering, operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, and other traffic-related offenses. 

(BIVN) – A Friday morning vehicle crash has closed a North Kona road for several hours.

The vehicle crash in the Palani Road and Konalani Street intersection has closed Palani Road between Henry Street and Kealakaa Street, and will require a detour of traffic for the next several hours as police investigate.

Also, a utility pole is down and nearby intersection traffic lights are out, officials say.

“Therefore, treat these intersections as a four-way stop,” a police alert message stated. “Suggested alternate routes are Manawalea Street, Kealakehe Parkway, Hina Lani Street, and Kaiminani Drive.”

From a later police news release:

On April 4, 2025, at approximately 1:30 a.m., Kona patrol officers responded to a traffic collision on Palani Road near the 37-mile marker in Kailua-Kona. When they arrived, they found a vehicle had struck a wooden utility pole, causing the pole and live wires to block Palani Road. The driver of the vehicle was uninjured.

This story has been updated.