Female charged with armed carjacking

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Vanity Sua, 27, of Waipahu, was charged on April 27, 2020 by federal complaint with armed carjacking in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2119 and 2.

U.S. Attorney Kenji M. Price for the District of Hawaii announced that the complaint alleges that on April 22, 2020, Sua was involved in an armed carjacking along with two other male suspects. Sua initiated the encounter with the victims and got into their parked vehicle. Thereafter, two male suspects approached the victims’ vehicle. When the victim in the driver’s seat attempted to start the ignition, one of the male suspects pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the victim. Sua reached over and removed the car keys from the ignition and got out of the vehicle. Both of the male suspects then ordered the victims out of the vehicle at gunpoint. One of the male suspects entered the victims’ vehicle. Sua then drove away in her vehicle followed by the male suspect driving the victims’ vehicle, and the other male suspect driving a truck.

The charges in the complaint are merely allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Honolulu Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Nammar.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the ATF when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with support from the following Project Guardian partners: the ATF and the HPD. For more information about Project Guardian, please click here.