Island of Hawaii police arrest two men after violent home invasion in Kona

Island of Hawaii police arrested two men after a home invasion in South Kona on Sunday afternoon left three people injured.

Police said shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday, Kona patrol officers responded to a call from Captain Cook in which two men were reported fleeing in a gray Honda sedan.

Officers determined that two masked gunmen – later identified as Jerome Kahoalii-Heath, 23, and Ioane Asagra, 27 – entered the house, demanding drugs and money. They hit the three witnesses in the head with a weapon, injuring them.

Police said they found .40 caliber cartridge cases at the scene, which later matched ammunition found in a justified search of the suspects’ vehicles.

The suspects, meanwhile, allegedly stole a red Jeep Cherokee that officers spotted heading south on Highway 190. Officers did not launch a chase because the driver, Kahoalii-Heath , drove recklessly, police said.

However, officers attempted to stop him near an intersection, and the driver ultimately made an illegal U-turn, hit a curb, and stopped.

Police arrested Kahoalii-Heath and her passenger, a 20-year-old woman, and recovered a semi-automatic pistol from the Jeep.

Soon after, Asagra surrendered to the police and was arrested.

Hawaii Island Police continue to investigate these incidents.