A driver and passenger of a vehicle attempting to avoid a U.S. Forest Service officer were hospitalized when they crashed their vehicle into another vehicle Saturday afternoon, said a police spokesperson.
Both the car the two were riding in and and the vehicle they struck are likely totalled, said Lt. Krag Campbell in a news release.
The driver, a 22-year-old man and passenger, a 31-year-old woman, who have not been charged and so are not identified, sustained serious injuries when they crashed, Campbell said.
[Body found near Indian Cove dock early Sunday]
The incident began when a USFS officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a green Subaru near Eagle Beach at 2:36 p.m. The Subaru took off and headed south at high speed, Campbell said, illegally passing vehicles and driving erratically. While attempting to pass a Ford pickup truck on Mendenhall Loop Road near Blueberry Lane, it struck the truck.
The driver and passenger of the Subaru were transported to Bartlett Regional Hospital for serious injuries, according to police. The occupants of the Ford had only minor injuries and did not require hospitalization.
Police learned later that the man driving the Subaru had a number of outstanding warrants on him, Campbell said. It’s unknown at this point whether the driver was under the influence at the time of the crash, Campbell said.
The case is still being investigated. The injury status of the casualties is unknown at this time, Campbell said in an email.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
