Fairbanks, AK - Handcuffed Man Tries To Steal ALASKA STATE TROOPER PATROL CAR - Trooper and Suspect Injured
Aprill 11, 2010
By Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Authorities say a handcuffed man wormed his way into the front seat of a
state cruiser and punched the gas pedal before a trooper managed to stop him
Saturday.
Charles W. Hills of Fairbanks faces at least seven charges, including
second-degree escape, resisting arrest, assault and felony theft. The
29-year-old is being held at the Fairbanks Correctional Center on $15,000 bail.
The incident happened about 6:30 p.m. on Phillips Field Road where the truck
Hills was driving had broken down.
Hills was wanted by Alaska State Troopers for questioning in connection with his
mother’s stolen credit card two days before. Fairbanks police noticed Hills and
alerted troopers to his location, drawing Trooper Erik D. Hill to the scene.
According to the trooper Hill’s report, Hills admitted to committing various
crimes, including stealing his mother’s credit card, stealing $350 worth of fuel
from a gas station, stealing the truck that was broken down and stealing items
inside the stolen truck, including a shotgun.
The Alaska Public Safety Information Network showed that the broken down truck
was reported stolen five months ago and the license plate on the truck belonged
to another stolen vehicle, the trooper report stated.
Trooper Hill handcuffed Hills behind his back and escorted the suspect to sit in
the back of the trooper’s state cruiser.
When a tow truck arrived, the trooper stepped out of the vehicle to speak with
the tow truck driver about impounding the broken down truck.
“After less than a minute,” trooper Hill wrote in his report, “I looked back at
my patrol car and saw that Hills had slipped his handcuffs to the front, forced
open the sliding window between the front and the rear seat, slid through the
very small opening, got into the driver’s seat, and was now trying to steal the
fully-marked patrol vehicle.”
The trooper ran back to the car and opened the driver’s side door just as Hills
was reportedly shifting the transmission into drive.
As Hills put his foot on the accelerator, trooper Hill squeezed in and put his
foot on the brake. The men struggled until Hill managed to subdue Hills by
pinning him against the passenger side door. The trooper then called for backup.
Both the trooper and the suspect sustained minor injuries. Hills’ left hand was
bandaged at his arraignment on Saturday.
Magistrate Nikole Schick dismissed one of two vehicle theft charge because Hills
failed to steal the state trooper cruiser.
District Attorney Mike Gray said he plans to seek felony assault charges from a
grand jury owing to Hills’ struggle with the trooper.
Gray described Hills’ conduct as very dangerous, saying Hills might have struck
the trooper and the tow truck driver if he had succeeded in stealing the patrol
car.