Officers’ Quick Response Saves a Life for One and Mother’s Day For Many

Mother’s Day (May 8th) at one of Andrews International’s premier shopping center accounts in Hawaii was bustling with activity and one of the busiest shopping days of the year, with families enjoying shopping, food, entertainment, and spending time with each other. This particular Mother’s Day marked the grand opening of a popular store in the mall, with sales exceeding any other grand opening of the store’s locations in the world, as well as a Hula performance at the center’s open air common stage, performed by a group of young local girls accompanied by traditional Hawaiian music.  

The crowd was a bit larger than typical this day, but Andrews International’s security team is trained and prepared to keep the center functioning at top security levels 24/7. At any given moment, officers are monitoring CCTV screens trained on various locations within the center, dispatching patrol units, answering calls and providing customer service to the mall’s patrons and vendors.  AI officers also provide uniformed security services at special events hosted by the mall. 

On May 8, 2011 at about 1436 hours, a traditionally happy and successful Mother’s Day at the center took a dark turn. Security Officer Jeffrey Marabellas was dispatching in the CCTV Control room, when he received a telephone call from an anonymous male who stated, “Someone is about to die.” When Officer Marabellas pressed the caller for more information, he stated that someone was going to hang himself at the center’s stage. The telephone line then went dead. Falling back on his security training, which emphasizes skills of observation and the importance of evaluating “more than meets the eye”, Officer Marabellas recalled hearing Hawaiian music in the background of the call. Aware of the Hula performance at the center stage, he trained some of the center’s CCTV cameras to focus on the stage area. As he did so, he immediately sent a radio alert to security patrol units about the anonymous call.

Meanwhile, Security Officer Tayziah Kekoa was at the center stage providing security for the performance, which had drawn a crowd of a couple hundred onlookers, as well as a flux of patrons passing through the area to gain access to the centralized customer service department, public restrooms and bordering stores. With information from Officer Marabellas about an attempted hanging, she focused her observations on the upper levels of the amphitheater-designed stage area. As Officer Kekoa made her way around the upper seating area, people alerted her about a young male who seemed “a little strange.” He was alone and seemed uncomfortable, upset and out of place at an event that was meant to be joyful and entertaining. She approached him with a customer service attitude and asked him if he needed assistance with anything, to which he abruptly replied that he was fine and then ignored her. Her instincts told her otherwise and she walked a short distance away to continue patrolling the area, while still keeping an eye on the male.

Several minutes after speaking to Officer Kekoa, the male stood up and wrapped an electronics cord around the upper level railing of the area, which sits directly above center stage. He tied the other end around his neck and began climbing over the railing. Officer Kekoa, still keeping watch, observed the actions of the male and immediately rushed towards him. As she did so, she notified dispatch of her observations. Sergeant James Cabreros, who was also patrolling the area, ran over to assist. The male was on the other side of the railing when Officer Kekoa grabbed his arm to prevent him from falling over the edge of the platform. Sergeant Cabreros arrived at that moment and wrapped his arms around the male’s mid-section. They then pulled the male over to the safe side of the railing, subdued him and discreetly ushered him to a sitting area far away from the railing.

From the moment the threat was called in, the security command center had been in constant radio contact with the responding officers, while also ensuring the event was captured by video surveillance.The command center promptly notified the Honolulu Police Department of the situation and the officers remained with the male until the Honolulu Police Department arrived. As a matter of state law, responding law enforcement psychologists are required to evaluate the mental state of the perpetrator in this type of situation before submittal to the local hospital for care and mental observation. The male was carrying a student badge from University of Hawaii. He did not indicate a clear motive for his actions at that time; however, he did state, “I did something really bad” and confirmed that he called the warning in to the dispatch center. While the shopping center did not press charges against the male, after he was evaluated by law enforcement he was transported to Queen’s Medical Center for further assessment.

Because of the teamwork, observation skills, professional actions and rapid response of the Andrews International security staff, not only was a life saved, but a traumatic event was prevented from tainting Mother’s Day at the center. The quick and discreet response of Officer Kekoa and Sergeant Cabreros kept the situation from escalating and creating panic and fear at the center’s stage--a situation that could have easily become a nightmare for the young Hula girls and those enjoying their Mother’s Day performance.

Sergeant Cabreros and Officers Marabellas and Kekoa were commended by Andrews International and the customer for their alertness, teamwork, and dedication to duty. Thomas Toyozaki, Director of Security at the center stated, “As far as our job is concerned, observation has to do with a lot more than just what you see. While what you see is very important, a security officer must rely on all of his or her senses in order to be effective. Our officers utilized their sense of hearing, observation and intuition to focus on problem prevention and response. Their diligent awareness, combined with communications and rapid response, exemplifies the professionalism of the security team at the center. We are all thankful that this situation was controlled and did not result in a tragedy for this young man and for the center.”

“I am very proud of the teamwork and professionalism displayed by Sergeant Cabreros, Officer Marabellos and Officer Kehoa. Their effective response avoided a certain tragedy. These are all exceptional officers and to know that they make a difference every day in the community they work in is just invaluable to Andrews International. They are the best at what they do because they have that special trait that goes beyond training; they care, and that makes all the difference.” said Jim Fuson, Vice President and National Account Manager for Andrews International.

Sergeant Cabreros and Officers Marabellas and Kekoa will also be nominated for the Honolulu Police Departement’s Civilian Award, which is awarded quarterly and presented publicly to the honorees.

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