"Driver rams ticket lobby at Maui Hawaii airport"

Monday, March 1, 2004

Man drives SUV into Kahului Airport, ties up air traffic for hours 
The Associated Press


KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) - A man drove his SUV into the ticket lobby of
Kahului Airport on Sunday morning and set it on fire, grounding outgoing
flights for hours. No one was injured. 

The incident occurred at about 8 a.m. when a dark blue Dodge Durango was
driven into the open-air terminal and its driver ignited it, said Lowrey
Leong, the director of the Transportation Security Administration on
Maui. 

"I went to knock on the window and he just lit it up," said Kalani
Hoopii, a baggage handler. Hoopii said he and two other baggage handlers
went up to the vehicle and saw a can of gasoline and a man flicking a
lighter. 

The vehicle was about 20 feet from the United Airlines ticket counter
with flames rising as high as the ceiling, Leong said. 

The 52-year-old driver from Haiku was arrested, officials said, but his
identity was not released. 

"It's an isolated incident. It's a personal matter," Gov. Linda Lingle
said. "The owner of the car was upset about something with a friend of
his and, in an emotional rage, he drove his SUV into the lobby of the
Kahului Airport. Nobody was hurt. It is not related to terrorism at
all."

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