Updated at 11:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5
Anchorage police backed off from an armed man barricaded in his car Wednesday night, leaving the scene unresolved, and are blaming the district attorney’s office.
Police cars blocked drivers from using the southbound on-ramp for Minnesota Drive at Dimond Boulevard for hours Wednesday night as officers respond to an armed man in his vehicle, the Anchorage Police Department (APD) said.
Police spokeswoman Renee Oistad said APD received a call Wednesday about a “suspicious person” sitting in a vehicle for several hours in a parking lot. Oistad wrote in an email that the suspect fled when he saw police cars.
“The vehicle is now stopped but the driver is being uncooperative with police,” she wrote.
A loudspeaker can be heard as APD talks to the barricaded, armed suspect in the car pic.twitter.com/tcRCZ2yj86
— Carolyn Hall (@CHallPhojo) October 6, 2016
In a release, APD stated the man was alone in the car and no injuries were reported in connection to the incident.
Just before 8 p.m., police had been trying to reach the man for nearly two hours and called in a negotiator.
.@ktva just learned that APD is calling in negotiators to help with armed, barricaded man in car near Dimond/Minnesota SB on-ramp
— Carolyn Hall (@CHallPhojo) October 6, 2016
Around 8:30 p.m., the negotiator arrived on scene.
APD negotiator just arrived on scene of armed, barricaded man in car on Dimond/Minnesota SB on-ramp @ktva pic.twitter.com/vaE08jrcYt
— Carolyn Hall (@CHallPhojo) October 6, 2016
APD Lt. Josh Nolder said officers hadn’t really spoken with the suspect, because it was difficult to hear the man from his car. The lieutenant said the man repeatedly told officers he was not under arrest and they had no right to keep him there.
Around 9:50 p.m., police vehicles started driving away. The negotiator on scene told KTVA the stand off was over.
Nolder then told KTVA, due to the district attorney wrongfully dropping charges against the suspect for an incident that happened a few weeks ago, police only had minor charges against him.
APD made the decision to de-escalate the situation.
A release from Anchorage police at 10:14 p.m. stated officers had cleared the scene and that no one had been taken into custody. At 10:15 p.m., a single police unit was left on scene to monitor the man so he didn’t become a threat to the public.
The investigation is ongoing. When asked who specifically made the call to back down, Nolder said he didn’t know — only that it came from someone higher up than himself.
KTVA reached District Attorney Clint Campion late Wednesday night. Campion confirmed he told APD to stand down, because he believes the suspect did not commit a crime in this case.
This is a developing story’ please check back for updates.
KTVA’s Daniella Rivera and Carolyn Hall contributed to this report.
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