An Anchorage SWAT team deployed gas into a vehicle and took the motorist into custody just before 10 am on Wednesday after a four and half hour standoff in the parking lot of the Qupqugiaq Inn APD is reporting.

A patrol officer patrolling 36th Avenue near the Arctic observed a suspicious person inside a vehicle in the Qupqugiaq Inn parking lot at 5:30 am on Wednesday morning and attempted to contact the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle.

A quick investigation of the vehicle would determine that the driver was 31-year-old Joseph Szajkowski. It was further determined that Szajkowski was the subject of an outstanding warrant. 

When asked to exit the vehicle, Szajkowski refused and barricaded himself in his car. He also produced a weapon. Officers attempted to talk Szajkowski out of the vehicle for approximately two hours before SWAT was ultimately called in to take over the stand-off. Just after 8 am, the 36th Avenue/Arctic Blvd area was shut down to traffic.

SWAT took over and for the next two and a half hours attempted to talk Szajkowski out of his vehicle and he continued to refuse. Then just before 10 am, SWAT deployed gas into Szajkowski’s vehicle forcing him to exit the vehicle and give himself up.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]Following his arrest, he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation from the gas deployment. Following his release from the hospital, Szajkowski was transported to the Anchorage Jail for remand.

Szajkowski has several open cases and charges pending that include multiple charges of Criminal Trespass, Failure to Stop at the Lawful Direction of a Law Officer, Resisting Arrest and Resisting by Barricading in addition to possible charges in today’s incident.

  36th, Anchorage, Arctic, arrest, barricade, deployment, gas, Joseph Szajkowski, Qupqugiaq Inn, stand-off, swat, warrants