Maui County, HI
04/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/18/2024 21:17
Unattended Death
On Thursday, April 11, 2024, there was an incident involving a Maui Police Department officer, which resulted in the use of a Taser and the subsequent death of Televise Sau (53) of Wailuku on Thursday, April 18, 2024.
On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, the Maui Police Department received a report of a stolen Ford F-150 pickup truck from the Kahului area. OnThursday, April 11, 2024, at approximately 6:59 a.m., the stolen vehicle was reportedly in theHaiku area.
At approximately 7:18 a.m., an officer located the stolen vehicle at a Kahiapo Place residence, with the driver still within. Theofficer ordered the driver to exit the vehicle; however, the driver ignored the commands and accelerated towards the driveway. Thedriver then exited the vehicleand fled on foot, running towards what was believedto be an occupied and uninvolved residence, with the officer in pursuit. Theofficer used less-lethal force,by announcing commands and deploying his Taser,only when the driver failed to comply with the officer's commands.
Medical assistance was immediately requested, and the officer placed the driver, who was not handcuffed, into a recovery position while waiting for the arrival of medical personnel. Thedriver was then takento the Maui Memorial Medical Center for further treatment.
The Maui Police Department takes incidents involving the use of force very seriously. Inaccordance with department policy, an internal investigation into the incident has been initiated andthe officer involved has been placed on administrative leave.
We express our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr. Sau during this difficult time.
In keeping with our commitment to transparency and accountability, we have included a cross-section of the body-worn camera footage of the incident.
In the released real-time footage, a uniformed officer is shownexiting his marked patrol vehicle on a road fronting a residence with the stolen vehiclein his line of sight.
The officer approaches the stolen vehicle in the driveway while drawing his firearm and ordering the driver to stop in an effort to take the driver into custody.
The officer continues to approach the vehicle while giving commands to stop, but the driver proceeds to accelerate towards the residence; the officer then holsters his firearm and gives chase while repeating commands to stop as he draws his Taser.
The officer then deploys his Taser successfully, making contact with the driver from behind, then immediately requests Central Dispatch to send medical assistance to his location.
In the released slow-motion footage, you will see the officer deploy his Taser successfully, making contact with the driver from behind. Uponapproach, the footage depicts a spray can on the ground under the driver.
As the investigation is still ongoing, no further information is available at this time.