(BIVN) – A reported South Kona crime spree on Wednesday ended with the arrest of an Ocean View man who was a wanted fugitive. 

Police arrested and charged 28-year-old Junson Heckerz following a series of incidents that started in Captain Cook on Wednesday morning, June 4, and ended with a car crash and officer involved shooting. 

There were no reported injured as a result of the incident. 

Heckerz, arrested for three outstanding warrants, has been featured on the department’s monthly “Hawaii’s Most Wanted” program on Na Leo TV since April. Detectives are continuing their investigation into the crime spree. 

Police described the series of incidents that started Wednesday morning, June 4: 

At 8:30 a.m. 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. (Report #25-050710/#25-050747). At the same time, officers received a report from a Captain Cook man who said he was riding his Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) in the area while searching for his stolen Volkswagen sedan, which he had just found. When officers arrived, they determined that there had been no traffic collision, however, they found the Volkswagen disabled in the roadway. The Captain Cook man reported that when he located his stolen vehicle it was disabled in the roadway with a man, later identified as Heckerz, in the driver’s seat. After both men exited their vehicles, Heckerz reportedly entered the UTV and fled the scene. (Report #25-050710/#25-050747).

At approximately 10:11 a.m., as officers were searching for Heckerz and the stolen UTV, police dispatch received a call of a man attempting to remove a Toyota pickup truck from a residence in the 88-1400 block of Māmalahoa Highway also in Captain Cook, (about ¾ of a mile from the 8:30 a.m. incident). The suspect fled after being confronted by the vehicle’s owner, who in turn notified his neighbors about the incident (Report #25-050742) and told them to be on the lookout for the suspect.

At 11:50 a.m., as officers were investigating the two earlier incidents, police dispatch received a trespassing report on a nearby property in the 89-1400 block of Anapuka Road, about ½ a mile from the 10:11 a.m. incident (Report #25-050764). The description of trespassing suspect matched Heckerz.

As officers were clearing the scene of the trespassing incident at 1:15 p.m., a report of an active burglary was reported in the same general area, in the 89-1200 block of Māmalahoa Highway (Report #25-050780).

While enroute to the scene, officers were provided with a description of the suspect seen canvasing the property, which matched that of Heckerz. As officers arrived on scene, they observed Heckerz inside the driver’s seat of the property owner’s Cadillac. When an officer attempted to contact Heckerz, he began rapidly reversing down a long driveway in an effort to evade police, but was unable to escape. As the officer continued to address Heckerz, he rapidly accelerated the stolen vehicle toward the officer, causing the officer to jump out of the way as the vehicle sped past him toward a metal gate. As the vehicle crashed through the metal gate at a high rate of speed, it nearly struck a third police vehicle and propelling the gate into a parked vehicle (Report #25-050791). Simultaneously, a second officer, who was standing just outside the metal gate, discharged two rounds at the vehicle. Heckerz then lost control of the vehicle, resulting in it crossing the roadway and crashing into a ditch. Officers rushed to render aid and detain Heckerz, who was not struck by the officer’s bullets and did not sustain any injuries as a result of the crash.

There were no passengers in Heckerz’s vehicle, and no officers were injured as a result of the incident.

While officers were still on scene at this investigation, one of the neighbors from the 10:11 am incident called police dispatch to report a burglary occurred at their residence earlier in the day. Police are currently investigating to determine if that burglary is connected to the other incidents that took place on June 4. (Report #25-050795)

On Thursday, June 5, detectives charged Heckerz with the following offenses:

• Three outstanding warrants
• Three counts unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle (auto theft)
• Two counts 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)

UPDATE – (11:15 p.m.) – Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen reported Heckerz made his initial appearance in Kona District Court on Thursday morning. “Over Prosecutors’ objections, the District Court judge reduced Heckerz’ bail from $293,100.00 to $5,000.00 and ordered him to appear for a preliminary hearing on June 6, 2025,” a news release stated.

As a result of the officer involved shooting, the Hawai‘i Police Department Office of Professional Standards has initiated a critical incident review, which is a standard practice. The department says the officer who fired 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,” the department said.

Police ask anyone who may have witnessed any of these incidents or may have any information about additional incidents in the area to please call the department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or 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 the Crime Stoppers number at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000, police added. “Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe,” the police department says. “Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.”