A 27-year-old Nikiski woman called in to 911 at approximately 8:26 pm Wednesday night to report that her boyfriend had assaulted her.

Alaska State Troopers responded to the scene on North Miller Loop Road. When they arrived, they found a bloodied woman holding a bloody rag to her face. EMS was called and also responded to the scene.

The victim reported to troopers that her boyfriend had hit and strangled her. She informed troopers that her boyffriend was downstairs in the apartment building’s laundry room in the basement.

While EMS transported the victim to Central Peninsula Hospital, the troopers began their search for 33-year old Joshua Saunders. In their search of the apartment building, troopers came up empty-handed. It was determiined that Saunders had escaped the building through a laundry room window.

A search of the surrounding woods near the building was initiated and would later produce Saunders about a half-mile away from North Miller Loop Road.

When encountered Saunders had a knife in his possession with which he had used to cut his arms several times. He refused to give up the knife when told to do so by the troopers.

Negottiation ensued and after 45 minutes, Saunders threw the knife into the woods and gave himself up. EMS responded to the scene and transported Saunders to the South Peninsula Hospital for treatment of his self-inflicted injuries.

Saunders was later transported to Wildwood Pretrial and remanded there on charges of Attempted Murder.