Crime & Courts

Men in stolen vehicle attempted escape by climbing beach cliff near Ninilchik, troopers say

Alaska State Troopers on the Kenai Peninsula say they arrested two men Wednesday who tried to climb a beachside cliff to get away from pursuing officers.

At 3:26 p.m., troopers were told a stolen vehicle was driving on the Sterling Highway near Anchor Point, north of Homer. When officers arrived, the driver "led troopers on a pursuit" into the seaside village of Ninilchik, according to a dispatch posted Friday.

The suspects then drove the car onto the beach and tried to flee on foot, the dispatch said; troopers caught up to them as they were trying to climb a beach cliff.

Randall Igou, 27, of Anchorage and Jeremy Watson, 37, of Homer, were arrested. Igou is charged with weapons misconduct, failure to stop at the direction of a peace officer and reckless driving. Watson is charged with weapons misconduct.

Neither man is charged with vehicle theft.

"The theft into the stolen vehicle is ongoing," troopers wrote.

Michelle Theriault Boots

Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. She focuses on in-depth stories about the intersection of public policy and Alaskans' lives. Before joining the ADN in 2012, she worked at daily newspapers up and down the West Coast and earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon.

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