A call went in to Fairbanks dispatch on Thursday night at 10:30 pm reporting that a vehicle that had been stolen at gunpoint in the days prior had been seen near Davis Road in Fairbanks.

Troopers immediately responded to the location, spotted the vehicle, and attempted to pull it over.

Instead of pulling over, the driver, later identified as 33-year-old Lawrence Purdue of Fairbanks, elected to speed off and take troopers on a 15-mile chase. During the chase, Purdue intentionally drove head-on at oncoming traffic and drove in the wrong direction on a controlled access road.

A trooper finally initiated a successful PIT maneuver on the fleeing vehicle, but then, Purdue intentionally rammed into two patrol vehicles. The crash disabled Purdue’s ride and he was taken into custody.

Two officers were medically evaluated by EMS at the scene and were ultimately cleared. As a precaution, a third officer was transported to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital but was also released.

Purdue was also medically cleared, after which, he was transported to the Fairbanks Correctional Center where he was remanded on charges that included Assault II, Reckless Endangerment, Vehicle Theft I, Criminal Mischief 1&III, Misconduct Involving Weapons III, Felony Fail to Stop at Direction of Peace Officer, and Reckless Driving. It would be found that Purdue was also the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant for probation violations.

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