A police officer and his K-9 partner helped prevent five teens from burglarizing an Anchorage smoke shop early Thursday morning, authorities said.
While patrolling Tudor Road near Eau Claire Place around 1 a.m., Anchorage Police Department Officer Darrell Evans noticed people running across the street and heard an alarm coming from the Tudor Smoke Shop, APD said in a statement.
With the help of other officers, Evans and K-9 Jimmy Lee chased the subjects, who were discovered to all be 14-15 years old. After one was detained, Evans and Jimmy Leee combed the area for the other suspects. Jimmy Lee tracked three to a shed near the 1300 block Chirikof Court and the fifth suspect was found hiding in some bushes, according to APD.
A front window at the smoke shop was found shattered Thursday. This is the third time a window has been broken this week by vandals, said Dannie Heininger, who works at Tudor Smoke Shop. It will cost around $4,000 to repair them all, she said.
The teens were taken into custody and charges for second-degree burglary and criminal mischief have been referred to the Division of Juvenile Justice through McLaughlin Youth Center.
According to the Dollars for Dogs website, Jimmy Lee is a Belgian Malinois and has been with APD since 2008.