Alaska State Troopers on Sunday have taken into custody an armed man involved in a stand-off this morning near Mile 131 Sterling Highway near Ninilchik. Except for minor injuries to the suspect, no one else was injured in the incident.
Troopers shut down the highway about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, after receiving reports of an armed man stopped in a green Toyota 4-Runner SUV in the middle of the northbound lane. No shots were fired in the incident.
As of 12:30 p.m., troopers have opened one lane of the highway as they examined the suspect vehicle in the other lane.
According to Alaska State Trooper Capt. Maurice Hughes of E Detachment, Soldotna, at about 6:30 a.m. trooper dispatch received reports of a man stopped in a car with weapons. Hughes said troopers are still investigating if the man aimed or brandished weapons at anyone. Troopers responded and saw that the man was armed. They attempted to contact the man, but backed off when he became noncommunicative.
Troopers then brought in a Bearcat tactical response vehicle, an armored truck that allowed troopers to get in closer to the man so they could talk to him safely. Hughes said the man seemed to be having some sort of crisis.
Troopers were unable to talk the man into coming out of his car.
“That didn’t work,” Hughes said. “We deployed gas into the vehicle … He put his weapons down. We took him into custody.”
Hughes said the man had blood on his hands, but he didn’t know how the man had been injured. Medics treated the man at the scene and took him to Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna.
The incident remains under investigation. No charges have yet been filed and troopers have not named the suspect. At least eight officers responded, including an Alaska State Parks ranger.
This is a developing story.
Reach Michael Armstrong at marmstrong@homernews.com.
