Enormous OGG Speed Bumps Praised for Ending Low-Speed Police Pursuit

The world-renown speed bumps at Kahului Airport (OGG) were cited as heroes Monday, for helping police nab a suspected auto thief after a brief low-speed pursuit.

Ernest Lohi-Kaahookele, 29, of Haiku was arrested on suspicion of felony grand theft auto by determined Maui Police Department officers late Monday morning.

"It seems like everyone on island wonders why the OGG speed bumps are so ... jolting," said Sgt. Ed Armbrister of Maui PD. "Now we know of at least one reason."

Airport personnel reported a suspicious late-model Cadillac Escalade ESV attempting to leave the rental car parking lot at OGG late Monday morning. Maui PD cruisers quickly fell in behind the vehicle expecting a drawn-out pursuit ~ only to be left wondering why no one exceeded 5 mph.

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"Even 5 mph is too high for those darned speed bumps," Armbrister said, shaking his head. "We've lost a lot of axles because of those things."

Alert local travel insider (and Maui Insight reader) Jacoby Green was able to capture the exciting pursuit on video with his smart phone (please see video above; then Editor's Note below).

He also was close enough during the arrest to hear Lohi-Kaahookele explain why he drove so slowly.

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"Hey man, I couldn't remember where those beasts (speed bumps) were located, but I do remember bonking my head on the ceiling of my dad's pickup as a kid when he didn't slow way down," Lohi-Kaahookele told officers as they hand-cuffed him, according to witness Green. "I thought if I could just very, very, very slowly roll over those teeth-rattlers, maybe I could get out on the highway and MPD would not pursue because every crook on island knows that's their policy.

"But I had to go slow because of those gosh-darn speed bumps. Is this gonna be on TV?" he finally said before being pushed into a cruiser, where he was transported to Maui Community Correctional Center for booking.

(Editor's Note: The video submitted by a Maui Insight reader, it was learned later, was "borrowed" by that reader from the Facebook page for the Maui Now online news site. See that video and more from Maui Now by clicking here.)