A 26-year-old Anchorage man who drove through a Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson gate and led military police on a chase, injuring an airman in the process, will spend five years behind bars.
A judge sentenced the man, Kyle Hansen, on Tuesday, according to a written statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Hansen had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of assault on a federal officer. Along with the 60 months' prison time, Hansen was ordered to pay JBER more than $78,000 for the damage he caused. He also will be supervised for three years after his release.
It was just after midnight Jan. 19 when Hansen crashed the blue 1994 GMC pickup he was driving through JBER's Boniface Parkway gate, according to a charging document filed after his arrest in January. Hansen drove toward the opposite side of the base, at times reaching 60 mph, and ignored officers' attempts to stop him, the charges said. Then he tried to squeeze the pickup between a light pole and a military vehicle at a roadblock, prosecutors said.
"While driving through this opening, Hansen struck a senior airman's service rifle that he was holding and the rifle then struck the senior airman in the throat and caused him to fall down an embankment."
Military officers opened fire, riddling the pickup with bullet holes. Hansen kept driving and smashed through the Boniface gate again, escaping, police said.
Officers traced the pickup to Hansen's friend, who had let him borrow it, the charges say. They found Hansen hiding under the friend's bed in Airport Heights the next day. The friend later told police Hansen was abusing cold and flu medication, according to the charges.
Judge Sharon Gleason noted that Hansen had been convicted four times already for driving drunk and once for eluding arrest, prosecutors said.
Reach Casey Grove at casey.grove@adn.com or 257-4589.
By CASEY GROVE