$10 Million Settlement for Family of Anesthesiologist Killed in Kakaako HPD Pursuit

On the night of January 28, 2019, Honolulu Police Officer Sheldon Watts began pursuing Alins Sumang in a Ford F-150 pickup down Ala Moana Boulevard. The chase accelerated past 60 miles per hour on a commercial corridor running through the Kakaako neighborhood. Sumang had an open alcohol container in the vehicle. At the intersection of Kamakee Street, he veered off the roadway and drove into a group of pedestrians waiting at the corner. Three people died. Four others were injured.

William Travis Lau, 35, was one of the three fatalities. A cardiothoracic anesthesiologist at Pacific Anesthesiology Services, Lau had recently finished a hospital shift when the crash occurred. He is survived by his widow, Melissa-Iris Lau, and his parents, William and Esther Lau. The other two pedestrians killed were Reino Ikeda, 47, a visitor from Japan, and Casimir Pokornoy, 26, from Pennsylvania.

In March 2021, Sumang pleaded guilty in circuit court to three counts of manslaughter and four counts of second-degree assault. A judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison, with the three manslaughter terms running concurrently. His criminal case resolved separately from the civil claims brought by the victims' families.

In December 2020, the Lau family filed a civil complaint against Sumang, Officer Watts, and the City and County of Honolulu. The lawsuit alleged that the defendants created an unreasonable risk of danger. The central question was the decision to conduct a high-speed chase at more than 60 mph on a city boulevard, at night, in a district with heavy pedestrian foot traffic. The case put HPD's pursuit policies under direct scrutiny.

L. Richard Fried Jr. of Cronin, Fried, Sekiya, Kekina and Fairbanks represented the Lau family. On October 6, 2021, the Honolulu City Council voted to approve a $10 million settlement. The city agreed to pay $3 million directly; its insurance carrier funded the remainder. After the vote, Melissa-Iris Lau addressed reporters: "This is not providing any closure. This just basically tells us that the state is willing to accept accountability."

Other families who lost loved ones in the same crash filed separate civil claims against the city. A second settlement for a different victim's family was approved by the council in the months that followed. No reduction of the Lau family's $10 million recovery has been reported.