A man charged with first-degree assault in a Saturday car crash in Midtown Anchorage had been driving into oncoming traffic at the wheel of a stolen vehicle shortly before the crash, according to charging documents.
Court records show Leanoano Pati, 30, is also charged with first-degree vehicle theft and reckless driving in the Saturday collision that injured at least two people at the intersection of Dowling Road and C Street.
According to a criminal complaint in the case, officers responding to the crash around 6:45 p.m. Saturday found that Pati had been driving a teal Honda Civic that had previously been reported stolen.
The crash occurred when a witness said the Civic ran a red light while traveling eastbound on Dowling, striking a Jeep Wrangler, the complaint said.
Shortly before the crash, a police officer had seen the Civic headed east in Raspberry Road's westbound lanes, and another witness reported seeing the Civic and another vehicle speeding and weaving through traffic.
Both Pati and a passenger in the Civic were taken to a local hospital, where police said Pati admitted he had been driving the Civic along Raspberry Road.
Police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro said in an email that injuries in the collision were apparently not life-threatening.
Pati was in custody Monday at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, according to a statewide inmate database. He was scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon.