Anchorage police on Sunday arrested a vehicle theft suspect sought since January, when he allegedly stole a vehicle with a toddler in its back seat.
The police department put out several releases asking for the public's help in tracking down Bruce King.
On New Year's Day, King allegedly stole a newer model Nissan Sentra from an East Anchorage neighborhood, police said at the time. The car had been left running with the keys inside, and a 3-year-old girl was strapped into a car seat, alone, inside the vehicle.
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The car was found abandoned behind a Brown Jug liquor store on Bragaw Street. The girl was inside the car and unharmed, police said.
King's arrest came on Sunday night, when a concerned Anchorage resident called 911 at 9:42 p.m. to report a "vehicle prowler," police spokeswoman Renee Oistad said in a statement.
"According to the caller, a man was carrying a shovel, riding a bike and checking vehicle doors on the 3800 block of Spenard Road," the statement says.
Officers spoke with the caller, who told them the same prowler tried to jump into his truck and steal it. Oistad did not say why the attempt at vehicle theft was unsuccessful.
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Police spotted a man in the area of Spenard Road and Wyoming Drive matching the suspect's description. The man provided a fake name when approached by a single officer, and he started to run away when that officer questioned its validity and backup began arriving, police said.
"During the pursuit the suspect's face mask fell down and that is when the officer recognized the suspect as Bruce King," Oistad said.
King was caught and arrested a block away, police said. He gave a second fake name in transit to the Anchorage Correctional Complex but the jail verified his identity through a fingerprint match, they said.
King is being jailed on two arrest warrants and also has been charged with providing false information, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. His bail was set at $1,000 and a third-party custodian.