(BIVN) – A Mountain View man has been arrested and charged with numerous offenses following an incident involving a stolen vehicle that took place over the weekend.

Police say 24-year-old Hayden E. Bruce was placed under arrest following a dramatic altercation with police outside a Kurtistown convenience store on Sunday, January 18th.

From a Hawaiʻi Police Department news release:

The charges stem from an incident that occurred on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 8:16 a.m., when police received a report of a gray Kia Soul driving recklessly on Highway 11 towards Kea‘au. The witness provided Central Dispatch 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 vehicle had been reported stolen in Hilo in November 2025.

Uniformed patrol officers arrived at the scene and contacted Bruce, who was seated in the driver’s seat of the stolen vehicle and its sole occupant. Officers issued repeated verbal commands for Bruce to exit the vehicle, which he refused. When an officer opened the driver’s side door to remove Bruce from the vehicle, Bruce 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 vehicle. The stolen vehicle then collided with a police-subsidized vehicle parked several feet behind it. Officers were subsequently able to remove Bruce from the vehicle and place him under arrest. A cross-body bag worn by Bruce was recovered as evidence.

The involved officers sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section responded and assumed the investigation. The scene was processed, and the stolen vehicle was recovered as evidence and towed to the Hilo Police Station. The damaged police-subsidized vehicle was also recovered and towed for further processing.

A search warrant was executed on the cross-body 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.

On Monday, Bruce was charged with the following offenses:

• First-degree theft
• Unauthorized control of propelled vehicle (auto theft)
• First-degree criminal property damage
• (Two counts) First-degree assault on a police officer
• Carrying or possessing a loaded firearm on highway
• Place to keep pistol or revolvers
• Place to keep ammunition
• Permits to acquire firearm
• Mandatory registration of firearm
• Duty upon striking unattended vehicle or property
• Driving without a valid driver’s license

Bruce was also arrested on two outstanding bench warrants.

Police ask anyone who may have witnessed this incident to contact Detective Amy Omaya of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2381, or via email at Amy.Omaya@hawaiipolice.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, police say. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.