A brief foot chase Monday night ended with police officers using a Taser to subdue a suspect downtown, but only after the suspect tried to use pepper spray to avoid an arrest, police said.
Juneau resident John Paul Lucion Holland, 40, appeared in Juneau District Court Tuesday for three misdemeanor assault charges stemming from the Monday night incident.
Juneau Police Department spokesperson Erann Kalwara said a 29-year-old resident in the 1700 block of Evergreen Avenue called police at 9:52 p.m. to say she saw Holland in her home, though she herself was not inside, and he did not belong there.
Police said Holland fled when officers knocked on the door, and during a brief foot chase, Holland allegedly tried to use pepper spray against three JPD officers. Two officers then struck Holland with Tasers in the torso to stop him.
“Three officers were impacted by (the pepper spray), but there was no permanent damage that we’re aware of,” Kalwara said in a phone interview Wednesday. “They were coughing … because they were in the area of the (pepper spray) fog, but none had direct contact.”
The woman who called police for help was not injured during the incident, Kalwara said. A police investigation later revealed that Holland entered the home by breaking a window on a door, according to a JPD press release.
Along with the three assault charges for reportedly trying to pepper spray officers, Holland also faces a misdemeanor charge for violating the conditions of his release.
According to online court records, a Juneau grand jury indicted Holland in June for felony burglary and criminal mischief charges stemming from a June 15 incident. That case’s trial date is set for Oct. 3.
• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.
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