Troopers released the name of the Utqiaġvik man who stole a vehicle in Anchorage and proceeded down the Seward Highway in a vehicle rampage on Tuesday.

The suspect, who has been identified as 41-year-old Lance Colby Harrington of Utqiaġvik, continued his crime spree down the Seward Highway after stealing a 2015 Toyota Tacoma in Anchorage and sped recklessly down the Seward Highway into Turnagain Pass on Tuesday morning.

It was in Turnagain Pass at mile 72 that additional charges began to build up. It was there that Harrington rammed into a 2016 Dodge Journey with five people aboard that was parked in a vehicle turnout along that stretch of the highway. Some of the passengers sustained minor injuries.

Harrington fled the scene of that accident then successfully carjacked another vehicle nearby where the driver was taking a nap. 

A driver taking a nap in a vehicle in the same pullout, awoke to squealing tires and the sounds of the collision. Harrington got out of his vehicle and began walking towards the second parked vehicle. When the driver saw Harrington, he felt something was amiss and tried to drive away in his 2017 Chevy pickup as Harrington chased the vehicle banging on the driver’s window.

The driver sped away from the pullout, only to find when he looked in his rearview mirror that Harrington was now in the bed of his truck. Harrington picked up a piece of metal from the bed and broke out the rear window of the truck and threatened to hurt the driver if he didn’t get out of his vehicle.

Telling Harrington he was pulling out at the pullout ahead at mile 71, he did so and Harrington pulled him from the vehicle. After climbing into the driver’s seat, Harrington recklessly sped south on the highway.

He did not get far, when he reached approximately mile 65 of the highway near the Granite Creek campground, he lost control of the truck and skidded off the roadway into the ditch. He continued through the ditch until hitting a culvert in a creek drainage ditch that caused him to roll multiple times. He was “ejected from the vehicle and thrown into the woods,” troopers report.

But, Harrington was not finished despite the serious accident, he walked out of the woods and approached another vehicle that had pulled over at the scene of the crash to render assistance. He attempted to steal that vehicle, his third for the day, but was unsuccessful. 

Harrington attempted to leave the scene, but was intercepted by a US Forest Service Officer. Harrington resisted and attempted to flee from the arrest but his efforts were foiled when off-duty law enforcement officers on vacation from another state assisted the USFS Officer in the arrest.

Troopers responded to the scene and took Harrington into custody. He was taken by EMS to Providence Hospital where he was treated for minor to moderate injuries.

Once released Harrington was remanded to the Anchorage Jail with no bail set. He was charged with:

• Robbery I
• Vehicle Theft I x2
• Assault III x2
• Assault IV
• Reckless Driving
• Leaving the Scene of an Injury Accident
• Reckless Endangerment
• Resisting Arrest

Three vehicles were totaled in the prolonged incident. 

The highway was closed in areas until the scene was investigated and re-opened at 4:30 pm.

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