Troopers cite Anchorage garbage truck driver caught on video chasing moose

Alaska State Troopers say they have cited a garbage truck driver captured on video chasing a moose through an Anchorage neighborhood.

A widely viewed video posted last week on the Nextdoor platform shows what appears to be a yearling moose sprinting away from a fast-moving garbage truck down a street. The truck follows the moose until the driver halts at a stop sign and the animal escapes along a snow berm and walks away.

Northern Waste, the waste-hauling company that owns the truck, terminated the driver, according to a statement on the company’s Facebook page.

Troopers on Wednesday said they cited 55-year-old Virgo Banks on Tuesday for violating a state statute prohibiting unlawful hunting methods that include “the use of a motorized vehicle to harass game or for the purpose of driving, herding, or molesting game.”

A copy of the citation was not available. Banks could not immediately be reached for comment.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers on Monday “became aware of the video circulating on social media” that showed a garbage truck driver appearing to chase a moose in their vehicle, spokesman Austin McDaniel said in an email Wednesday.

Troopers contacted Northern Waste and “after reviewing additional evidence, determined that the driver violated Alaska regulations with his actions,” the agency said in an online report.

The encounter appears to have occurred in the Bayshore/Klatt neighborhood in South Anchorage, a community outreach representative for Northern Waste said earlier this week. The incident was a first for the 7-year-old company, she said.

Northern Waste held a meeting about the situation this week, a representative said Wednesday. He declined additional comment.

“We are implementing further wildlife sensitivity & safety training for all Northern Waste drivers and we are committed to making sure this will never happen again,” the company said in the statement. “We are Alaskans and we promise to uphold our Alaskan values in all business practices.”

A judge will ultimately determine any fines associated with the driver’s offense, McDaniel said Wednesday. Such fines typically range between $300 and $500, he said.