Anchorage Driver Flees APD, Causes Crash and is Tased Prior to Arrest

An Anchorage man was taken into custody on impairment charges after a ignoring an arresting officer, causing a crash, then continuing to try to flee police just before midnight on Saturday, APD reported on Nixle. He had to be tased multiple times before he could be subdued.

Just prior to midnight, an APD officer who was waiting at the light on 5th Avenue and Karluk. As the light changed to green, he observed a driver in a black Dodge Durango exhibiting signs of impairment, and so activated his lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop.

The driver, who was later identified as 46-year-old David S. Boyles, slowly pulled away from the officer, then drove through a red light at 5th and Ingra, then accelerated away. Seeing that the suspect was not going to stop, the officer pulled over to the shoulder.

The suspect continued down 5th Avenue and when the driver got to Gambell, ran into a sedan that was in the intersection. The crash disabled both vehicles. One officer went to check on the occupants of the sedan, while another officer went to the Durango, giving oral commands to the driver, which the driver ignored. Boyles jumped out of the  Durango’s window and fled on foot.[xyz-ihs snippet=”adsense-body-ad”]As Boyles attempted to flee the scene, he slipped and fell in the alleyway between 5th and 6th, got up and ran towards 6th and Gambell. It was at that time that the officer deployed his taser, and Boyles went down. Despite being tased, Boyles continued to ignore commands, and tried to get up while reaching into his pocket. The officer tased Boyles again and successfully handcuffed him. The arresting officer stated that “There was a chemical smell emitting from the driver and the driver also exhibited a heightened level of strength; both of which are indications of drug use,” APD reported.

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Boyles was taken to the hospital temporarily for medical clearance before being transported to the Anchorage Correctional Center, where he was remanded on charges of Failure to Stop at the Direction of a Peace Officer Resisting Arrest, two counts of Assault II, Leaving the Scene of an Injury Crash, Driving Under the Influence, Criminal Mischief III and Reckless Driving.

The occupants of the  sedan were transported to the hospital for treatment of serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, APD said.