HPD corporal placed on restricted duty, had police powers removed after crash that seriously injured motorcyclist

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Body camera footage HPD didn’t want the public to see captured the actions of an off-duty HPD corporal shortly after a crash records show he caused.

Vasai Isala Jr. recently slammed his subsidized vehicle into the back of a motorcyclist, seriously injuring the rider. The 18-year veteran has since been reassigned to non-patrol duties and his police powers have been removed.

HPD still refuses to comment on whether Isala may have been driving intoxicated.

After HPD denied HNN Investigates public records request for the body camera footage, we helped the injured motorcyclist through the process of getting a copy himself.

We then had that video reviewed by a retired traffic commander who says the Corporal started feeding his colleagues inaccurate information the moment they arrived on scene.

WATCH:

On Sept. 22 at 9:21 p.m. body camera footage shows an officer pulling up to the scene of a crash on Kamehameha Highway near Aloha Stadium. The moment she steps out of the vehicle, it appears she sees a familiar face.

“Oh, you’re here,” said the officer.

Isala responded, “It’s a fled scene.”

“Basically he’s saying it’s not his fault,” said Lt. William Hankins.

Hankins is a retired traffic commander who served 30 years with Maui PD. He has experience working both as a DUI and fatal crash investigator.

“Unit 1 is cop talk for responsible driver. Isala is saying he’s not Unit 1,” Hankins said. “The information he’s giving that officer is completely inaccurate.”

According to the 87-page accident report, investigators eventually determined Isala did cause the crash.

Keep in mind that same report said Isala was already on last chance probation for another incident HPD refuses to talk about.

Records show Isala provided his colleagues with at least three different stories about the circumstances leading up to the crash that left 62-year-old Randy Sagario with what he describes as road rash, a concussion and serious spinal injury.

Two of those stories involve a third driver, Isala claimed caused the collision, before fleeing.

Here’s that first officer who arrived on scene trying to explain what she was told, “He said there was a fled. He said that a bus hit his vehicle. I got to get more info. But he said he’s not Unit 1.”

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Minutes later, the officer again tried to get the Corporal to tell her what happened. But it seemed he was in no rush to cooperate.

The officer asked Isala, “Did you see the guy take off?”

He responded, “No, I was focused on these guys.”

The officer then replied, “Can you tell me? Do you want to write one statement then?”

Isala tells her, “Later.”

Meanwhile, a witness who was sitting at a bus stop told that same officer she saw Isala cause the crash.

“It was a red light. And. I see the motorcycle coming. He down shifted and then he got bopped from behind,” said the witness.

The officer asked, “Do you know who bopped him?”

The witness said, “That guy right there in that car,” referring to Isala.

The officer confirmed that she was talking about Isala, “That one right there?”

The witness replied, “Yea.”

HNN Investigates tracked down the woman to see what else she remembered about that night.

“I think he went up. At least 10 feet up in the air,” said Pua Ramones. “I was shocked he never let go of the motorcycle at all.”

Ramones says she then watched Isala get out of his vehicle and the first thing she heard him say, “He said where’s the other car?”

A statement that left her confused.

“What other car,” she said. “What car are you talking about. There’s no other car.”

The witness says she also found it odd that Isala was allowed to freely roam around the crash site.

“I felt like he should have just stayed by his vehicle,” said Ramones. “They didn’t have him on the side taking down a statement like I was.”

HPD confirms it’s also opened an internal investigation into the responding officers “handling of the incident.”

Law enforcement sources tell us prior to the crash Isala had attended a party.

This crash report shows the corporal was never given a field sobriety test. And the box asking if officers suspected impairment was left blank.

Records also state, when the crash scene investigator showed up — Isala was gone — but the report makes no mention as to where he went.

We’ve asked HPD multiple times if officers drove the Corporal home after the crash because they suspected he was intoxicated? But the department still refuses to answer the question.

It wouldn’t be the first time Isala was a suspect in a DUI case. Court documents reveal he was arrested for driving under the influence and crashing into a utility pole seven years ago. A judge later found him not guilty of the 2016 DUI and inattention to driving charges.

Meanwhile the victim has this simple request: “Just tell the truth.”

Two and a half months after the crash, Randy Sagario says he is still dealing with headaches and waves of nausea along with spine and shoulder issues.

To make matters worse, he says he’s having trouble getting medical care despite his best efforts working with the hospital and insurance companies.

The 40-year military vet also hasn’t been able to return to his job at Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

While Sagario says he’s glad Isala’s been placed on restricted duty, he questions why he still has a job. He added everyone involved in any wrongdoing should be publicly disciplined.

“It’s a start, but they need to do more,” he said.

When HNN Investigates asked Sagario, “What do you want HPD to know?”

He replied, “Your officers need to be accountable. And if you let this go this is going to happen again.”

Records show HPD closed the crash investigation in November.

While investigators determined Isala was at fault, he was never cited.

For more than a month, HNN Investigates repeatedly asked the department if Chief Logan and Corporal Isala could sit down with us to talk about the case.

All of our requests have been denied.

In a statement an HPD spokesperson said the department, “is continuing to investigate the collision, including the actions of the responding officers. No other officers have been placed on restricted duty at this time. Further information on this incident is not being released at this time due to the ongoing investigation.”

Meanwhile, we understand there is much more body camera footage from that night. We’ll be sure to make that video public as soon as it’s released.

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