APD Responds to Gambell Passed Out Driver, Solve Vehicle Theft Case

APD reported on Wednesday of an incident that solved another case after responding to a scene on the 1100-block of Gambell Street on Tuesday morning. They responded to a business parking lot on Gambell for a report of a man passed out behind the wheel of a running vehicle.

Officers woke up the driver behind the wheel of a black 1994 Honda Civic in the lot. When asked his identity, the suspect gave a name and birthdate that could not be confirmed via computer.

The suspect said he was going to get sick. This prompted the officer to back up to let the man, later identified as 26-year-old Alexander M Perue, out of the vehicle.


Perue, now outside the vehicle “pretended to try and vomit,” APD reported. Then the suspect quickly stood up and ran from the scene as the officers gave chase. Perue ignored the officer’s commands to stop and continuing to flee while shedding his jacket. He was not stopped until additional officers arrived and placed their vehicles in the path of Perue’s intended escape.

Perue was taken into custody at 11th and Eagle and taken back to the original scene in the parking lot. It was then that it was confirmed, even though it was missing one plate and sported a plate from another vehicle, that it had been stolen the day before from a Lake Otis address.

The investigation found that the vehicle had been stolen the morning before and had both plates and no keys in the ignition when taken.

When it was determined that Perue was on probation for two previous vehicle thefts, his PO was contacted. The PO requested an interior search of the vehicle. The search “turned up several credit/debit cards that belonged to other people,” police stated.

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After he was questioned by detectives at the department, Perue was transported to and remanded at the Anchorage Jail. During his processing by corrections officers, it was found that Perue was in possession of an additional credit card.

Perdue was charged with two counts of Vehicle Theft 1 and four counts of Theft II and False Information.