KAUAI, Hawaii — Former NBA player Lazar Hayward Jr. has been identified as one of two visitors from California arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Kauai on suspicion of uploading fake COVID-19 test results into the database that screens and tracks Hawaii arrivals amid the pandemic.
According to Kauai police, Hayward, 34, and 33-year-old Raven Randle flew into Lihue Airport on a direct American Airlines flight from Los Angeles after uploading the falsified documents in an attempt to sidestep quarantine, Hawaii News Now reported.
State law requires travelers to submit either vaccine cards or negative COVID-19 tests to Hawaii’s Safe Travels portal in order to visit the islands without quarantining. According to The Modesto Bee, the program flagged the fake tests, prompting an investigation by Hawaii authorities and the Tuesday arrests.
Both Hayward and Randle, who were released pending an investigation and driven back to Lihue Airport for a direct flight back to Los Angeles, are facing a charge of unsworn falsification, the newspaper reported.
A court date has not yet been set, Hawaii News Now reported.
Hawaii has reported 80,128 cumulative COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, resulting in 5,659 virus-related fatalities to date, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
According to Yahoo Sports, Hayward spent three seasons in the NBA from 2010-2013, including stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets. The Marquette University standout was taken No. 30 overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2010 NBA Draft but was traded to the Timberwolves before he ever hit the court.
Sigh.
— Gigi Graciette (@GigiGraciette) October 2, 2021
Authorities in Hawaii arrested Lazar Hayward Jr and Raven Randle for uploading falsified Covid-19 negative test results to state database. They then flew from Los Angeles to Hawaii where they were booked and immediately put on a plane back to LA. https://t.co/aNll32LjsM
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