Man chased, killed by troopers wielded bat

By Casey Grove, Anchorage Daily News

Updated, 10:40 a.m.: A man being pursued by Alaska State Troopers on the Glenn Highway was shot and killed after he "advanced on three troopers with a raised bat," the troopers said in a written statement.

The man and the troopers involved have not been identified.

Here's the full statement:

On 8/3/12 at approximately 0401 hours, Alaska State Troopers attempted to stop a 1994 Saturn Coupe at Lucille Street and the Parks Highway. The vehicle was observed failing to signal as it made a right-hand turn onto the Parks Highway from Tommy Moe Road. The vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued heading southbound on the Parks Highway. Prior to passing the Trunk Road turnoff, spike strips were deployed and managed to deflate a tire. However, the vehicle continued driving southbound onto the Glenn Highway. As the vehicle neared milepost 25, the vehicle caught on fire and stopped in the southbound lane. The driver and sole occupant, a male, exited the vehicle and started running toward the northbound lane. Attempts to subdue the individual, including use of a Taser, were unsuccessful. The man then stopped running and advanced on three troopers with a raised bat. At that time, a trooper fired and shot the man with his duty weapon at approximately 0420. The man was declared deceased on scene. Alaska State Troopers were assisted by officers from the Anchorage and Wasilla police departments to include a WPD canine. No officers or troopers were injured in the incident. The southbound and northbound lanes of the Glenn Highway were closed until the scene could be secured. APD took responsibility for traffic control and began a pilot car system to route vehicles through the two southbound lanes to allow traffic to move in both directions. Traffic was backed up to the interchange of the Glenn and Parks highways. The northbound will remain closed for several hours until the on-scene investigation is complete.

The name of the trooper will be released in 72 hours per department policy. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation responded and assumed case responsibility. Anyone witnessing either the pursuit or incident that has not been already contacted by law enforcement is asked to call ABI in Palmer at (907)745-2131.

Read the entire article here.

Trooper kills suspect after Glenn Hwy. chase

By Casey Grove, Anchorage Daily News

An Alaska state trooper shot and killed a man after a car chase on the Glenn Highway north of Anchorage early this morning, shutting down traffic near the Thunderbird Falls exit, according to Alaska State Troopers.

No law enforcement officers were injured, troopers said.

The pursuit began in Wasilla near Lucille Street and the Parks Highway, troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said. It ended about 4:20 a.m. at Mile 25 of the Glenn Highway, where a trooper shot at the suspect, she said. Details such as what triggered the chase or shooting, or if the suspect was armed, were not immediately available, Ipsen said.

Read the entire article here.

Seward Highway Reopens as Police Seek Armed Kidnapper

By Chris Klint, Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Seward Highway has reopened after a Friday closure near Mile 70, as Anchorage police and Alaska State Troopers look for an armed kidnapper.

APD spokesperson Lt. Dave Parker says the incident began earlier Friday near 88th Avenue and Lake Otis Parkway, where an 18-year-old man saw a male suspect -- described by troopers as a white man in his forties, about 6 feet tall with a shaved head and a black-and-red tattoo on his left shoulder -- snooping around the back yard of his grandmother's home. The home was taped off as a crime scene by APD Friday afternoon, as police searched for more clues about the suspect.

The man reportedly confronted the suspect, at which point the suspect forced the man into his red 2000 Chevrolet pickup truck and made him drive south along the Seward at gunpoint. Parker says the suspect needed to relieve himself at the Turnagain Pass rest area and took the pickup’s key, but the victim had a spare key and drove off.

According to police, the victim sent a text message to family members, who then alerted APD and AST about the incident. As of Friday afternoon, the victim was headed back to Anchorage, but was stuck in traffic from the Seward's closure.

Read the entire article here.