Two Anchorage police officers got more than they expected at about 2 a.m. Monday morning, when they responded to a disturbance call in Midtown that ended with one officer being stabbed and the suspect's hand being broken, police said.
According to a press release from the Anchorage Police Department, upon arriving at the scene on West 25th Avenue, officers Keo Fujimoto and Nathan Keays located a subject, 47-year-old Edward Thompson; they began a pat-down search for weapons when Thompson spun around, producing a knife from one of his pockets. Police said a struggle ensued, and Thompson stabbed officer Fujimoto in the leg and wounded him on his forehead. Officer Keays's vest carrier was sliced near his neck. A third officer arrived to assist in the struggle, but police said officer Keays was eventually able to disarm Thompson by striking his hand with a baton.
Officer Fujimoto was taken to a local hospital where he received stitches for the stab wound in his leg. Thompson received treatment for his hand, which was broken in the baton strike. Both men were released from the hospital after treatment.
Thompson was arrested and charged with first-degree assault, two counts of attempted assault, resisting arrest and criminal mischief.
It's been a rough couple of weeks for Alaskan police; this incident comes on the heels of a showdown in Kotzebue on Sunday where two Alaska Troopers were wounded during a nine-hour standoff with a gunman, who reportedly eventually shot himself. Earlier in the month, Anchorage police shot and killed Mountain View resident Shane Tasi during a confrontation, which has raised questions about the availability of Tasers among Anchorage's police officers.