Full Notification

A Honolulu police officer was killed and another officer was injured in an accident during a routine traffic stop Tuesday night on Farrington Highway near Honokai Hale.

A 45 year-old police officer, identifed as Eric Fontes, was taken in "extremely critical condition," to Pali Momi Hospital where he died, according to police and paramedics. Fontes was a Kapolei resident who was assigned to the Kapolei police station, other officers said.

Fontes is originally from Molokai and is married. He was named most inspirational in his February 2005 recruit class, said an officer, who did not want to be identified.

"He was a really nice guy,'" a recruit class colleague said. "He always picked us up. He always had words of encouragement ... positive energy. He's going to be missed,"

The 55 year-old injured officer is in stable condition with leg and other injuries at the Queen's Medical Center. Sources identified him as Herman (Sam) Scanlan, who also worked at the Kapolei station and is a 14-year veteran of the force.

Police said the officers stopped a 1997 tan Jeep Cherokee with an expired vehicle registration decal in the left Waianae-bound lane of Farrington Highway just before the Ko Olina off-ramp at about 10:30 p.m.

A 2003 tan Toyota pick-up truck, driven by a 21-year-old Waianae man, hit an unmarked police vehicle, the two police officers and a blue and white police car on the median, police said. Traffic investigators said Fontes was hit in the back by the suspect's vehicle, which then hit the two police cars and Scanlan.

Officers arrested the pick-up truck driver at the scene for negligent homicide and negligent injuries. The suspect has no prior criminal record. Alcohol is not a factor; but speed and drug use may be factors in the accident, traffic investigators said. The suspect is a member of the Hawaii Army National Guard, a spokesman said. But the spokesman could not say whether the man is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan.

The driver of the Jeep Cherokee, a 49 year-old man from Kapolei, and his passengers -- a 46 year-old female, a 27 year-old female and a 2 year-old boy -- were not injured. Police closed all Waianae-bound lanes at the Makakilo H-1 Freeway off-ramp at about 11 p.m. while they investigated the accident.

The lanes were reopened just before 1 a.m. This was the 41st traffic fatality on Oahu this year, compared to 40 at the same time last year. Fontes is the 43rd Honolulu police officers killed in the line of duty.

The last Honolulu police officer killed was Harry Coelho, a 20-year veteran who died while trying to break up a fight at Haleiwa Beach Park on May 20, 2007. He was 48.

Police said Coelho was off-duty and at the beach with his family when he had a heart attack while trying to subdue two men who were fighting.

Fontes' name has already been added to the Wall of Honor on the Honolulu Police Department website, which lists police officers killed in the line of duty.

"Eric was a fine man and officer, I know this because I was one of his instructors in the academy," Nancy De Foster wrote on the website. "Another honorable life taken too soon. Please keep his family in your prayers and also pray for our brother officer who is still in critical condition."

Roberto “Robzs” Acoba, operations manager of Side Street Inn in Kapahulu, said Fontes was “a natural leader” at Molokai High School. Acoba described the 1985 graduate as “great family man.”

“We’re all like family on Molokai because it is such a small island. This really hits home,” Acoba said.