Alaska News

Troopers: K9 helps arrest man who picked fight with officer

WASILLA -- A man reported to be in a fight involving a gun just outside Wasilla on Monday evening turned on an Alaska state trooper and fought with him until a police dog was "deployed" from a nearby patrol car, troopers said Tuesday.

The man, who was not identified because no charges have been filed yet, was taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center for evaluation and treatment of injuries that aren't believed to be life-threatening, troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said. The trooper sustained minor injuries during the incident and was treated and released.

The situation began after someone called 911 to report a fight in progress between two men, possibly involving a gun, on Pioneer Peak Drive just before 7 p.m. Monday, troopers said. The neighborhood is off Bogard Road in the Williwaw subdivision north of Wasilla.

Trooper Daron Cooper, with his "K9" Blazer, responded to the area and spotted a man who looked like he'd been in a fight on the porch of a home on Pioneer Peak, Peters said. Cooper made contact with the man, who "began to fight and was reaching into his pants / waistband area," she wrote in an email.

As the man continued to fight, he and the trooper fell from the porch onto the driveway, Peters said. Cooper warned the man that if he didn't stop fighting, he could be bitten by the dog.

He didn't stop, she said, so Cooper used a remote control that opens his car door and Blazer emerged.

"K9 Blazer immediately responded and apprehended the suspect," Peters wrote in the email. She wouldn't provide more details about how that happened.

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The man was taken into custody without further incident by Cooper and another trooper who arrived at the house, she said.

The man faces possible charges including assault on a peace officer, resisting arrest and fourth-degree drug charges, she said. No weapons were found on him.

Reach Zaz Hollander at zhollander@adn.com or 257-4317.

By ZAZ HOLLANDER

zhollander@adn.com

Zaz Hollander

Zaz Hollander is a veteran journalist based in the Mat-Su and is currently an ADN local news editor and reporter. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com.

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