A Fairbanks man was arrested early Tuesday morning near Walmart following a car chase through downtown Fairbanks.
Fairbanks police were on patrol near Wendell Avenue and Noble Street when they saw a black truck speed past them, according to charging documents. Officers recognized the vehicle as one recently reported stolen.
Police activated their lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop, and the driver initially pulled into the Gas Line station at 4 College Road, off the Steese Highway. The truck slowed but then turned onto College Road, ran a red light, and accelerated to 64 miles per hour. The driver slowed to 40 mph as he approached Illinois Street, then began driving in the wrong direction on Illinois Street and turned into the Speedway Express gas station.
The vehicle continued on College Road, turned into a parking lot, and drove behind Michael’s craft store, the criminal complaint stated. Officers caught up with the truck on Helmericks Avenue and observed it entering the Walmart parking lot, after which the driver parked, exited the truck and crawled under a nearby vehicle. He then crawled out and ran toward the east side of Walmart. After a brief foot pursuit, Fairbanks police arrested 24-year-old Christopher Henry Strickland. Police confirmed the truck was reported stolen.
Strickland was charged with first-degree vehicle theft, a felony, and two counts of felony failure to stop at the direction of a peace officer. Magistrate Judge Risa Leonard set his bail at $5,000.
Contact Haley Lehman at 907-459-7575 or by email at hlehman@newsminer.com.
