Crime & Courts

Burglary suspect rammed pickup into home to gain entry, Anchorage police say

A burglary suspect rammed a pickup truck into a garage attached to a Hillside home Monday morning and then went inside, Anchorage police said.

"The front part of the truck was in the garage and then he got out and started burglarizing," said MJ Thim, police spokesman.

At the time, a woman and her son were inside the house on Olena Pointe Circle in the Rabbit Creek area. They locked themselves in a room and called police shortly after 7 a.m., Thim said.

When police arrived, he said, they "caught the suspect in the act, in the basement, burglarizing the home."

The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Ryan Austin, was arrested and taken to jail, police said. He faces charges including first-degree burglary and criminal mischief.

Thim said the woman and her son were not injured.

Police said officers had encountered Austin in the area Saturday afternoon, peering into residential windows.

"He stated he was looking for a friend. Officers told the suspect to not return to the neighborhood," police said.

Tegan Hanlon

Tegan Hanlon was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News between 2013 and 2019. She now reports for Alaska Public Media.

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