UPDATE: A 15-year-old male has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a biker on the Chester Creek Trail on Monday morning with a thick stick. An APD press release says was identified by school resource officers and police officers. The suspect had skipped school that day with his older brother and a friend. No charges have been brought against the other two teens. The victim will undergo surgery for his facial injuries.
Original Post: A man biking to work along the Chester Creek trail near the Goose Lake overpass was assaulted by a group of three young men on Monday morning.
APD reports that one of the youth was using a five-foot-long branch as a walking stick. As the biker passed him, he swung the branch and hit the biker in the face. The biker crashed, and the group of three men walked away toward East High School. The stick broke the victim’s nose and eye socket and fractured his skull.
APD spokesperson Anita Shell says it was a completely random act of violence. The group did not speak to the victim nor try to steal anything. She says she does not know if this was linked to the stabbing of a young woman in late March because that victim never saw her attacker.
Shell says they are seeking more information. The Monday morning attacker was described as about 15-years-old with short hair, medium build, and medium-brown skin tone. One of his companions was about 17 with short hair and curls on the top.
Anne Hillman is the healthy communities editor at Alaska Public Media and a host of Hometown, Alaska. Reach her atahillman@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Annehere.
