After a pursuit that included a crash into a snowbank, the hopping of a fence and the suspect continuing to run after having been tased, officers caught Travis Ian Johnson, 35, who had a warrant out for his arrest.
It started with a call reporting that a man had stolen something from Fred Meyer at 2:13 p.m. Thursday, according to a Juneau Police Department release. The caller reported that the man in question ran from the store to a silver van and drove off, the release states.
Eleven minutes after that, according to the release, a JPD officer saw the van driving outbound on Glacier Highway approaching Anka Street. The officer tried to pull the van over, but the driver didn’t stop and eventually crashed into a snowbank on Allen Court, according to the release.
The driver got out of the car and ran into a wooded area, the release stated, and a woman got out of the rear door on the passenger side.
The patrol sergeant, detective sergeant, a detective, two patrol officers and two state troopers came to the area to assist with the driver and passenger, according to the release.
A detective saw the suspect running on Montgomery Street, and was seen running between houses in the area in the direction of Churchill Trailer Court, according to the release. The suspect jumped a fence and the sergeant followed, according to the release.
The sergeant then struck the subject with his taser, according to the release, but the subject didn’t stop.
At 2:48 p.m., according to the release, a trooper stopped and detained the suspect near Lund Street. Officers then were able to identify him as Johnson, the release states.
Johnson had a $50 warrant out for failing to appear for an arraignment, according to the release, with the original charge fourth-degree drug misconduct. Johnson was arrested for failing to stop at the direction of a peace officer, reckless endangerment domestic violence, the release states.
On top of those charges, a check of the license plate showed that the van had been stolen, according to the release. The van was impounded and the theft of the van is under investigation.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
