A man who attacked another man with a machete at Anchorage's Brother Francis Shelter for the homeless was arrested by police, who say he locked himself in a bathroom at the shelter while they were en route.
An Anchorage Police Department summary of the incident said Ira Lee Ahsakak Ferguson Jr., 32, was charged with first-degree assault. Officers responded at 1:11 a.m. Saturday to the shelter, at 1021 E. Third Ave.
"The 31-year-old male adult victim saw (Ferguson) bothering a female friend and trying to get her to go someplace she didn't want to go," police wrote. "The victim stepped in between Ferguson and the female, at which time Ferguson pulled out a machete and swung it at the victim. The victim sustained a deep laceration to some of his fingers and was transported to the hospital."
Police said shelter employees disarmed Ferguson before he locked himself in the bathroom.
"Initially Ferguson refused to open the (bathroom) door, but then did so as officers were getting ready to unlock the door with a key provided by a (shelter) employee," prosecutors wrote.
Anchorage District Attorney Clint Campion said Ferguson initially gave a false name to police.
Officers took Ferguson to the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where he was arraigned Sunday and held on $10,000 bail with a court-approved third-party custodian required for his release. He was still in custody there Friday, according to a statewide inmate database.