3 kids accused of blowing up mailboxes with fireworks in Hawaii
HONOLULU (KHON) -- A group of kids in Hawaii were arrested after allegedly blowing up a cluster of mailboxes with fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend.
Some residents in the Ewa suburb of Honolulu said they heard a loud boom around 11:30 a.m. Friday and were shocked when they saw the damaged mailboxes.
"It was really loud...sounded like a bomb," one woman, who did not want to be identified, told Nexstar's KHON. “We heard something, we saw it fall, and then it dropped in my yard. ... It looked like the top of the mailbox."
Honolulu police responded to the scene within 10 minutes, and officials said three juveniles were arrested on suspicion of second-degree criminal property damage.
"Hopefully they're old enough to understand now that they did something bad. They got caught, and now they've got to get the repercussions," said Pomai Tabilang, who lives nearby.
Residents told KHON that while they were surprised at the boldness of people blowing up mailboxes in broad daylight, they're grateful for the officers' quick response.
"I know once it happened, there were a lot of people in the neighborhood that ran out trying to find them, like driving their cars and stuff, but the cops were fast," another neighbor said.
The U.S. Postal Inspector said destroying a mailbox can be a federal crime, but since minors are not often federally charged, any decision to pursue charges will likely be made at the state level.
State Rep. Diamond Garcia said it's great the alleged culprits were caught by police, but prosecutors following through with ramifications will be key.
"The fact is they damaged property, consequences need to be handed out, these kids need to know that there are penalties for breaking the law," Garcia said, adding that "a kid could have died from it. Who knows?"
The Honolulu Prosecutor's Office said they can't comment on cases involving juveniles. Police haven't confirmed whether or not the juveniles were released pending an investigation.