Anchorage AK Feb 23 2019 A 22-year-old man is facing more than a dozen charges, after Anchorage police say he stole a security officer’s vehicle and used it to strike four other vehicles, including three APD cruisers.

Jasten K. Fujishiro was taken into custody after a nearly three-hour chain of events early Tuesday, police said in a statement. The chain of events began just after 1 a.m. Tuesday, when a security guard called police from the Holiday gas station at 36th Avenue and C Street to report that his Nissan Xterra work vehicle had been stolen.

“[The victim] had been in the process of trespassing [Fujishiro] from the property when Fujishiro jumped into the 2014 Nissan Xterra security vehicle and drove away,” police wrote. “Officers arrived in the area but were unable to immediately locate the Nissan.”

At about 2:15 a.m., police received a call from someone whose vehicle had been struck at the Seward Highway and East Tudor Road, after “a security vehicle had run a red light at the intersection.”

“The complainant stated the security vehicle didn’t stop after the wreck and it ran another red light in the process of fleeing the scene,” police wrote. “The citizen stated the suspect was driving erratically just prior to the collision. The citizen had pulled into the median in an attempt to keep from getting hit but was struck anyway.”

Just before 2:40 a.m., an APD officer spotted the Xterra near Dowling Road and the Old Seward Highway.

“As other officers were driving towards that direction, the security vehicle ended up being between two patrol cars as they approached the Old Seward and Dimond intersection,” police wrote. “The security vehicle sped up, went around the patrol car in front, and ran the red light.”

Officers didn’t pursue the SUV or activate their lights or sirens. Soon afterward, police handling a separate traffic stop near 69th Avenue and Old Seward also saw the SUV.

“Fujishiro drove past the scene several times,” police wrote. “He would slow down, flip off the officers, and swerve like he was trying to hit either the officers and/or their patrol vehicles. The officers did not engage.”

At 3:25 a.m., another police officer was driving west along Tudor Road near Old Seward when the stolen SUV approached the vehicle from behind. After police said Fujishiro closed to “just a few feet behind the patrol car” near A Street and 36th Avenue, the officer accelerated to avoid a collision and Fujishiro backed off.

“The officer came to a stop at a red light when he saw Fujishiro driving at him from behind at a high rate of speed,” police wrote. “Realizing he was about to get hit, the officer accelerated. After rear-ending the officer’s patrol car, Fujishiro initially backed off but then accelerated towards the officer again.”

More officers arrived and tried to box in the SUV, but called off the attempt because Fujishiro “refused to stop and was driving at high rates of speed through Downtown” as workers were removing snow and people were walking nearby.

Officers were finally able to box Fujishiro in and arrest him at about 3:45 a.m., near West Benson Boulevard and Cheechako Street. Police learned that three of their vehicles had been struck during the overall chase, but no officers were injured.

Court records show Fujishiro charged with first-degree vehicle theft, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, third-degree criminal mischief, two counts of failure to stop at the direction of an officer, three counts of third-degree assault and four counts of leaving the scene of an accident.

After a Tuesday arraignment, Fujishiro was held on $5,000 cash bail. He remained in custody Friday at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, according to a statewide inmate database.

KTVA

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