HONOLULU -- A police officer was critically injured when he was struck by a van at Honolulu Community College Thursday evening.

Officer Keahi Omai was struck by a van in the parking lot of the school, according to the Honolulu Police Department.

Police identified the driver of the van as Daniel Vesper, 43. Police said at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Vesper hit a student with a baseball bat and tried to steal the student's moped at the University of Hawaii Manoa campus.

At about 5:15 p.m., police spotted him in Kalihi. That's when Omai tried to stop the van Vesper was driving and was run over, according to police.

Paramedics treated Omai and took him to the Queen's Medical Center, where he was later upgraded to guarded condition.

Police launched a search by air and on the ground for a white Ford Aerostar van. The van was last seen racing east down King Street.

Police teams searched the neighborhood around Alexander Street near Punahou School. Officers searched the area for hours before wrapping their operation up. They found the van he was driving, but were unable to find Vesper.

Vesper's Description:

Age: 43

Ethnicity: Hawaiian and Portuguese

Height: 6 foot 2 inches tall

Weight: 210 pounds

Sources said he has a long criminal record with 25 arrests and eight convictions, two of which were felony charges involving stolen vehicles. He's also a suspect in a case involving a police officer last month.

Omai works for the Kalihi HPD Crime Reduction Unit and not the solo bike division as earlier reported.