Incomplete police report, differing accounts: ‘Red flags’ questioned in crash involving HPD officer

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - HNN Investigates obtained exclusive information about the actions of Honolulu police officers suspected of potentially mishandling a crash investigation involving one of their own.

According to police records, HPD Corp. Vasai Isala Jr. was on “last chance” probation when he recently slammed his subsidized vehicle into the back of a motorcyclist, seriously injuring the rider.

We’ve confirmed the department opened an internal investigation. However, officials have refused to tell us if they’re looking into claims the 18-year veteran may have been driving under the influence that night.

HNN Investigates obtained a copy the accident report and had it reviewed by a retired traffic commander, who says there are multiple red flags.

A search for answers

On Sept. 22 at about 9:30 p.m., Honolulu police snapped a photo that was submitted into evidence of Randy Sagario face down on the asphalt near Aloha Stadium.

HPD records reveal the 62-year-old was dragged down Kamehameha Highway after he was hit from behind at a stoplight by a subsidized police vehicle, driven by Vasai Isala Jr. — off-duty at the time.

According to the 87-page report the corporal says he immediately blocked the lane and activated his blue lights.

Isala then says he went to check on the rider who “responded verbally the entire time and did not lose consciousness,” telling him to stay still before he radioed the crash into dispatch.

But the victim has a different recollection.

“I blacked out,” said Randy Sagario. “The only reason why I awoke was because some lady was hysterical screaming. Yelling at me to get up.”

Sagario was rushed to Tripler Army Medical Center, where he says doctors treated his road rash and diagnosed him with a concussion and a serious neck injury.

Days later, he had a stroke.

When asked if he thought the stroke had anything to do with the crash, Sagario replied, “yes, I do.”

The 62-year-old says those injuries have prevented him from returning to his job at Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

For more than two months, Sagario has been trying to get answers about what happened the night he was hit, saying it wasn’t until HNN Investigates got involved that he was able to get a full copy of the police report.

We had the document reviewed by a retired traffic commander. Lt. William Hankins spent the bulk of his 30-year career in the traffic division at Maui Police Department. He has experience working both as a DUI and fatal crash investigator.

‘A huge red flag’

He says there are several concerns that jumped out at him. For one, “The officer who did the report for the Vehicle Homicide Unit said the involved officer in the crash was not on scene. Why?”

When HNN Investigates asked Hankins if that was a red flag, he replied, “That’s a huge red flag. The only reason that officer wouldn’t be there is if he needed some kind of medical attention.”

The report makes no mention of Isala being transported to the hospital.

Hankins also noted parts of the report are incomplete.

While the document indicates Isala was never given a field sobriety test, the box asking if officers suspected impairment was left blank.

Hankins said, “It shouldn’t be (left blank). Especially in this case, you got an officer involved, you want to make sure every single one of those boxes is checked off.”

Investigation continues, but HPD isn’t talking

The report states the corporal “appeared to be tired, possibly from just finishing a 3/13-hour work week” and that he seemed “worried” due to his “last chance” probation status because of prior incidents.

However, law enforcement sources tell us Isala was at a party prior to the crash.

We asked HPD if officers drove the corporal home that night because they suspected he was intoxicated, but officials refused to answer the question saying in a statement, “HPD is continuing to investigate the collision, including the actions of the responding officers.”

The spokesperson added, “Further information on this incident is not being released at this time.”

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.

“In the end, there’s questions that still need to be answered,” said Hankins.

For example, why responding officers didn’t put Isala’s initial statement from the crash scene in the report until a supervisor asked where it was.

That night he told his colleagues he veered into another lane and collided with the motorcyclist after someone “cut him off.”

In an interview two months later, Isala told investigators “he took his attention off the roadway and was looking at the rail station ... not realizing there was a motorcycle ahead of him.”

HPD has since closed the crash investigation. Isala was never cited despite evidence he caused the collision.

Meanwhile, Sagario believes it’s important to share his story “to let everyone know what I went through. And that it can happen to you.”

We asked HPD multiple times if HPD Chief Joe Logan and Isala could sit down with us for an interview. All of our requests have been denied.

The department confirms all of the officers involved including Isala remain of full duty.

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