Man In Stolen SUV Case Appears In Court

HONOLULU - KITV.com

An accused car thief shot three times by police last week while trying to escape made his first appearance in court involving the case on Monday.

Jeremiah Lopez III, 23, of Makaha, is charged with first-degree assault, two counts of assault on a police officer, auto theft and terroristic threatening.

He was surrounded by police while in the drive-through of the KFC restaurant at Waikele Center. Authorities tracked him there after Lopez was seen driving the stolen sport utility vehicle earlier in the day. Officers shot him when they said he tried to ram them with the SUV he was driving.

After the shooting, paramedics treated Lopez and rushed to Queen's Medical Center in critical condition. He was released Thursday and arrested.

Lopez's shirt was open during the proceedings exposing what looked like one of the bullet wounds on his chest. He also had bandages on his stomach and left hand.

About a dozen family and friends were in court, but had no comment afterward.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Lopez is being held on $200,000 bail.

Two other people in the stolen SUV were arrested. One of them, Cherish Craig, 25, also made her first court appearance on Monday.

She is charged with assaulting a police officer and unauthorized entry into a vehicle and is being held on $30,000 bail.

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