An Oahu grand jury has indicted two men in connection with a violent robbery earlier this month at Keolu Market in Enchanted Lake.
John Vea, 30, and Kevin Mercado-Nardo, 25, were each indicted on a first-degree robbery charge Tuesday in connection with the Oct. 7 robbery.
Both men, who have no local addresses, were being held at Oahu Community Correctional Center in lieu of $100,000 bail for Vea and $75,000 bail for Mercado-Nardo.
A police affidavit filed in Honolulu District Court said Vea was identified after the market’s owner got his license plate as Vea allegedly fled from the store and several tipsters identified Mercado-Nardo as a suspect.
Security cameras recorded the incident, which began with Vea allegedly parking in front of the store at about 4 p.m. and walking in with a 3-foot-long pair of bolt cutters.
He walked to three gaming machines in the back of the store and struggled to cut the chains from the machines, the affidavit said.
When the 60-year-old owner tried to stop Vea, Mercado-Nardo allegedly ran into the store and put the owner in a chokehold, knocking him out.
After a few seconds the owner regained consciousness and used a bottle of liquor to fend off Mercado-Nardo.
Vea was unable to take any of the machines and raised the bolt cutters several times toward the owner, presumptively to hit him in the head, the affidavit said.
When the owner’s wife ran to the front door to yell for help, a woman who ran into the store with Mercado-Nardo grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the store.
All three suspects left the store empty-handed, jumped into Vea’s pickup and fled. The woman’s identity remained unknown, the police affidavit said.
Police located Vea near Mayor Wright housing at about 4 p.m. Oct. 14. Mercado-Nardo was arrested at about 2:45 p.m. Oct. 15 after an officer spotted him walking on Kalakaua Avenue.
