A Juneau man faces seven felony charges after hitting a police officer with his car, according to an indictment filed last week.
A Juneau grand jury indicted Albert Martin Mazon, 28, on two charges of first-degree assault, one charge of second-degree assault, two charges of third-degree assault, two charges of failing to stop at the direction of an officer and fourth-degree assault. All charges but the fourth-degree assault (a class A misdemeanor) are felonies.
The Juneau Police Department sent out a release March 3 that provided some details of the incident, but the charging documents dated March 7 offer more specifics, including the name of the officer whom Mazon allegedly hit with his car.
At about 4:18 p.m. March 2, off-duty JPD Officer Ron Shriver saw Mazon in the Safeway parking lot driving a gold-colored Honda, according to the charging documents. Shriver, who recalled Mazon had an outstanding warrant due to a parole violation, called on-duty Officer Patrick Vaughan to confirm there was a warrant.
A Dec. 22, 2016 Empire article states Mazon was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree burglary. In August 2015, he was arrested for stealing three handguns on Glacier Highway a few miles south of the Shrine of St. Therese, the Empire wrote in 2016.
Mazon also pleaded guilty to escaping from Juneau’s halfway house in August 2015, the Empire reported.
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Shriver then followed Mazon, who drove to the Fred Meyer parking lot, the charging document states. Vaughan arrived on scene and said over the radio that he was going to attempt to arrest Mazon. The JPD report, written by JPD Officer Jason C. Van Sickle, states that the next transmission from the scene was Vaughan calling for medical assistance because Mazon had tried to run Vaughan over with his car and that Mazon had been Tased.
Van Sickle’s report states that Shriver later informed him on the details of the scene.
Vaughan approached the car, Shriver said, told Mazon that he had warrants and asked him to exit the vehicle. Vaughan then opened the driver’s door, the report states, and Mazon immediately put the car into reverse and began to back up. Vaughan, trapped by the open door, grabbed onto Mazon so as not to be dragged under the car, Shriver told Van Sickle.
Shriver said he also heard Vaughan say to Mazon, “Stop. You’re going to kill me,” according to the charging document. Mazon didn’t stop until the car went over a curbed landscape area. Vaughan let go of Mazon and rolled away, the report states, and Mazon drove off.
Mazon drove the Honda into a snowbank not far away, and Vaughan pursued. With his baton, Vaughan smashed the driver’s side window, but Mazon was already getting out of the passenger side, the report states. Shriver, still on scene, chased Mazon and grabbed him after Mazon tripped and fell, according to the charging document.
Vaughan then caught up and ultimately Tased Mazon and the two officers eventually got Mazon into handcuffs, the report states. He was then taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center. Neither charging documents nor the JPD release say whether Mazon suffered any injuries during the arrest.
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Vaughan was taken to the hospital with minor leg injuries, according to the JPD release, and was released later that night. Shriver suffered a minor injury to his hand while subduing Mazon, according to Van Sickle’s report.
Mazon appeared in court March 3 and has another court hearing scheduled for Tuesday, according to electronic court records. The Public Defender Agency has been assigned to represent him.
Albert Mazon is pictured in 2015, when police were seeking him as a person of interest in multiple burglaries. (Courtesy photo | Juneau Police Department)
Other indictments
• Alden Balalong, 61, was indicted for one charge of felony driving under the influence, a class C felony. The incident occurred on Feb. 11 and the indictment was dated March 7.
• Virginia G. Moriarty, 38, and Samantha J. Garton, 30, were indicted on second-degree forgery and second-degree conspiracy to commit forgery, respectively. Both charges are class C felonies.
• Shanye Howard, 28, was indicted on two charges of second-degree theft, a class C felony. He was also indicted on two charges of second-degree attempted theft, a class A misdemeanor. Howard was being booked into LCCC, according to charging documents, when two other people’s credit cards. Both of those people had recently reported having cards stolen from them, the charging document states. Howard told authorities that he had traded the cards for an ATV and that he had attempted to use one of them but it was declined.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
