At least two stolen cars were recovered from an East Anchorage home on Wednesday night and two men arrested, one of whom was found hiding in insulation in an attic, police said.
Just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, officers in the area of Muldoon Road and 32nd Avenue noticed a 2008 black Chevy Trailblazer that had been reported stolen to police the day before, the Anchorage Police Department said in a written statement.
The Trailblazer had been stolen from a business parking lot on Muldoon Road on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, officers saw the Trailblazer in a residential driveway on the 3000 block of Brookridge Circle.
Several officers approached the Trailblazer. A man later identified as Nicholas K. Kost, 27, got into the driver's seat. Officers blocked him in with their cars, and he began driving back and forth, trying to get away, police said.
Kost hit another vehicle in the driveway, which then hit a police officer who was on foot, police said. The officer wasn't hurt.
Then, Kost drove forward, breaking off a piece of an exterior wall and damaging the garage door, police said.
One officer saw a rifle on the front passenger side of the Trailblazer, and reached through an open window to grab it. Kost "refused to listen" to commands, police said.
After "multiple Taser warnings," during which Kost tried to drive away, officers tased him one time in the upper body, according to police. He was taken into custody.
Police later found a 2004 GMC Yukon parked in the garage that had been reported stolen on Aug. 16. The Yukon had been stolen from the owner's driveway on Karluk Street. When officers found it, the engine had been partially removed, police said.
Three more vehicles were found that had "punched-out ignitions and stripped steering columns," but those cars had not been reported stolen, and police had so far been unable to reach the vehicle owners as of Thursday.
Officers cleared the house, giving "multiple commands for anyone inside to identify themselves," police said.
Officers saw that the attic had been "recently accessed," police said. In the attic, 28-year-old Joseph Ambrosio was found hiding in the insulation.
Kost, who had five outstanding felony warrants, was charged with first-degree vehicle theft, second-degree theft, resisting arrest, three counts of third-degree assault, two counts of third-degree criminal mischief, and third-degree misconduct involving a weapon.
Ambrosio also had an outstanding felony warrant. He was charged with resisting arrest.
Both men were taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex. Their initial court appearances were scheduled for Thursday afternoon, online records show.