10/17/24 Kona man charged with e-bike theft, police looking for female suspect

Hawaii Police Department
Criminal Police Department Area II
Lieutenant Michael Hardie
Phone: (808) 326-4646, extension 266
Report No.: 24-092556

Media release

Hawaii Island police have arrested and charged a 22-year-old Kona man after investigating the theft of an e-bike from a Kona store. During the course of the investigation, police were able to link the suspect to two additional cases of criminal damage and he was also charged in these investigations. Police are still searching for the identity of a woman involved in the theft of an electric bicycle.

On Monday, October 7, 2024, at 11:21 p.m., Kona patrol officers responded to a report of a broken glass entry door at a retail store in the 75-5600 block of Palani Road in Kailua-Kona.

When officers arrived on scene, they discovered the glass front door was broken, glass was scattered all over the floor, and there was a large rock inside the store.

Police contacted a witness who told how a young man from the area broke the glass door with a rock, entered the store and stole an orange/red electric bike. The witness further stated that within seconds, a younger Hawaiian woman entered the store and stole a gray/blue electric bicycle. Both the male and female were then observed leaving the area in opposite directions. A second witness to the incident was also contacted near the scene and confirmed the first witness’s statements.

The shop owners, who responded to the scene after being contacted by police, confirmed that two Yamaha electric bikes, each valued at $3,000, were stolen.

While reviewing the business’s video surveillance, officers recognized the suspect from previous police contacts as 22-year-old Luke Deniz. The unknown female party was also observed on video surveillance entering the store, stealing an e-bike and leaving the scene on an e-bike.

Deniz was located a short time later near Ka’eka and Manawalea streets without the e-bike and was subsequently arrested.

As part of the ongoing investigation, Area II Criminal Investigation Division detectives, in collaboration with Kona patrol officers, linked Deniz to two additional criminal property damage incidents that also occurred on October 7 at various financial institutions in the Kona area. In one of the incidents, Deniz was seen on video surveillance using a rock to smash a glass door and an ATM, causing $4,000 in damage.

Deniz was also arrested for the two additional incidents and after consultation with the District Attorney’s Office, Deniz was charged with the following crimes:

• Second degree burglary
• Second degree theft
• Three counts of second-degree criminal damage to property

Bond for Deniz was set at $25,000 at his first court appearance on Wednesday, October 9, in Kona District Court.

The investigations against the suspect are currently ongoing. She is described as a local woman, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a light-colored top and dark yoga pants. She also has a tattoo on her left ankle.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the police non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311. You may also contact Detective Len Hamakado at (808) 326-4646, ext. 224; or email [email protected]. Citizens who wish to remain anonymous may submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to caller ID.