Police say two men escaped from the Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
One inmate was serving time for attempted murder, while the other was serving time for burglary. Both men are considered to be dangerous.
Just before 10 a.m., Ryan Jeffries-Hamar and Jarvis Higa began their escape from the library of the Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
"They assaulted, they overpowered the correctional officer and beat him up, then they threatened the librarian and made her, somehow got her car keys," Public Safety Director Ted Sakai said.
The 63-year-old correctional officer was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released. The 49-year-old civilian employee was uninjured.
The two men broke through a gate and drove off in the librarian’s car. The inmates reportedly burglarized a nearby home on Kaumana Drive, and changed into civilian clothes.
"Soon after that, patrol officer discovered the vehicle at a subdivision," said Lt. Greg Esteban, Hawaii County Police.
They were last seen in the Sunrise Ridge subdivision of Hilo.
The Puainako Street extension was closed to traffic and re-routed for about two hours while police and correctional officers, aided by the Hawaii Fire Department’s helicopter, conducted an extensive manhunt for the suspects.
School officials also placed Kaumana Elementary on lockdown.
"We basically double checked on classroom enrollment, made sure we knew where every child was and then we put additional staff out in the open to make sure no one came on campus," Kaumana Elementary School Principal Ray Mizuba said.
This is not the first escape for 31-year-old Hamar. In August, he escaped from the Hale Nani Correctional Facility.
He and 35-year-old Higa, are considered to be dangerous and may try to hitchhike to Kona.
Anyone who sees either of the inmates is asked to contact Hawaii County Police.
The State Public Safety Department is sending a team to the Big Island to conduct an investigation to find out what happened, and to ensure this escape does not happen again.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
