Anchorage Daily News

A short-lived series of heists in Wasilla on Thursday night came to an abrupt halt when the suspects' get-away vehicle ran out of gas.

Wasilla police came across Dillian Aafedt, 19, and Emmanuil Y. Kirillov, 19, less than an hour after the first robbery took place after the pair ran out of gas then tried unsuccessfully to get some from a local resident, said Wasilla police Sgt. Jean Achee.

"They came in there all in a panic because they needed help in a bad way to get some gas," said Wasilla police Sgt. Jean Achee. "If they were smart, they would have at least stolen gas first."

Troopers got the call about the first robbery about 8 p.m., when a clerk at the Valley Country Store on Bogard Road reported a man with a knife had tried to rob the convenience store, said troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters. Apparently unsuccessful, the suspect fled in a dark-colored, four-door sedan.

Then 20 minutes later, troopers got a call from another clerk at a Tesoro gas station at Wasilla Fishhook Road and Seldon Road. Again, a man pulled a knife and robbed the store, this time making off with all the cash in the register, troopers said.

Troopers arriving at both crime scenes shut the area down and issued a locate order for the vehicle to police in Palmer and Wasilla.

Just before 8:40 p.m., Wasilla police came across a vehicle matching the description stopped with its lights off on Stone Haven Circle, troopers said. Two men in it were arrested.

A search of the area turned up a jacket hidden in some nearby woods about 25 feet from the vehicle. Its pockets contained $889 in cash, troopers said.

Troopers discovered that the fleeing suspects had run out of gas during their flight and that Aafedt had gone to a nearby apartment asking for a refill, Peters said. The occupant turned him away.

"It's a bad idea to rob other people then run out of gas in the process," Peters said. "I would advise that, make sure you have your gas tanks full and not to rob anybody else so you don't have to worry about it."

Aafedt and Kirillov, both of Wasilla, were charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of third-degree assault, second-degree theft and tampering with evidence.

They were booked at the Mat-Su pretrial facility and the vehicle was impounded. Aafedt was being held with bail set at $40,000 and Kirillov on $25,000, troopers said.

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.

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