K9 Unit Catches Hiding Car Thief after Chase through South Anchorage

A car thief took Anchorage police on a car chase through south Anchorage, before crashing and fleeing on foot in a residential area there early Wednesday morning.

Police say that a man, later identified as 31-year-old Jesse Payne, driving on Elcadore and Commodore Drive was the subject of a traffic stop in a vehicle, a 2006 Nissan X-Terra, that was reported stolen, at 1:53 am on Wednesday morning.

Instead of stopping for the patrol officers, Payne elected to speed away, and ran through a stop sign, while took officers to the Jamestown Drive area. When officers arrived at that location, they found the vehicle crashed into a residential building, and Payne was no where to be seen.

A K-9 Unit was brought in in an attempt to locate the car thief. After the K-9 undertook a short search, Payne was located hiding on top of a motor home a short distance away.

Payne was placed under arrest and charged with Felony Eluding, Vehicle Theft, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, and Driving with a Revoked License. A further check on Payne’s background by police would find that he was also wanted on a Felony Arrest warrant for Assault and Criminal Mischief.

APD transported  Payne to the Anchorage Jail, where he was remanded with his bail set at $10,000.

Police say the damage to the building was minor.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]