Crime & Courts

Police: Woman badly injured when stolen pickup fleeing officers strikes other vehicles

Update 11 a.m. Monday:

Anchorage police on Monday identified the pickup driver as Nicholas Kost, 28. He is facing multiple charges including assault, eluding police and vehicle theft.

Original Friday story:

A woman was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries Friday after the pickup truck she was a passenger in rammed an Anchorage police vehicle, drove into oncoming traffic, collided with two other vehicles and then rolled on its side, police said.

The pickup was stolen, and the driver, a man, was also taken to the hospital, police said in an alert.

All lanes of Commercial Drive, in the Mountain View area, were closed Friday evening as police investigated.

Just after 5 p.m., police spotted the white Chevrolet pickup, reported as stolen, heading west on Commercial Drive, police said. Commercial Drive parallels the Glenn Highway north of Merrill Field.

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Officers tried to stop the pickup by boxing it in, police said, but the “driver eluded officers by driving through their barrier and ramming a patrol car in the process,” police wrote.

“The stolen white pickup, occupied by the adult male driver and one adult female passenger, lost control and drove into oncoming eastbound traffic on Commercial Drive at Industrial Way, striking a gray Ford Escape and a blue GMC Jimmy. After colliding with the 2 vehicles, the white Chevy pickup rolled on its side and the female passenger was partially ejected from the vehicle.”

The driver was detained and taken to the hospital for minor injuries, police said. It was unclear whether charges had been filed Friday evening.

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