Police arrested an 18-year-old Wailuku man who was found hiding in a bedroom closet after an early-morning robbery Saturday outside a house on Piihana Road in Wailuku, police said.
Kuikamoku Pali was charged with second-degree robbery, with his bail set at $20,000.
The robbery occurred at 12:25 a.m. after a man, who was on his way home, stopped by a friend's house on Piihana Road, said Lt. Jayson Rego of the Criminal Investigation Division. The man was walking toward his vehicle to leave when he was punched on the left side of his head and fell to the ground, Rego said.
He said a male reached into the victim's right front pocket, taking his cellphone and wallet containing $800.
After the robbery was reported, Wailuku patrol officers made checks in the neighborhood and received a report of a male hiding in an apartment on the road, Rego said. He said officers obtained permission to search the apartment and found Pali hiding in a bedroom closet.
He was identified as the robber at the scene, Rego said.
Police also arrested a 21-year-old Pukalani woman suspected of helping Pali hide from police. She was later released pending further investigation of hindering prosecution.
