An Anchorage man is accused of firing a shotgun at homeless people in Midtown Anchorage from his pickup truck this week.
Andres Corona, 39, is charged with five counts of weapons misconduct, two counts of assault and one count each of DUI and refusal to submit to a chemical test. The charging document and a police statement do not mention any injuries during the Tuesday incident.
Corona’s arrest comes during a summer that has seen greater dangers for people living on Anchorage’s streets. In June, police arrested two men on murder charges after a spray of gunfire at a Fairbanks Street homeless camp left one man dead. The shooting was a factor in city officials’ decision to clear that encampment earlier this month.
Police were first alerted of the shots fired Tuesday at around 11 p.m. Prosecutors say police responded to the 3300 block of Eagle Street, for a reported disturbance involving a firearm. Callers said the suspect was firing a shotgun from a pickup truck and provided its license-plate number.
Responding officers spoke with homeless people in the area, including one who said the shooter – later identified as Corona – was among a group of three males harassing people, according to the charging document. The witness said he chased them away, but they returned and started a fight. The witness said Corona attacked him from behind before they left again.
About 20 minutes later, the witness told police, Corona drove a pickup through the area brandishing a shotgun, which he pointed at people before firing twice into the air.
“(Corona) then turned around, passing the group again, and fired two times in the direction of the group of people,” prosecutors said. “(The witness) reported seeing sparks where one shotgun round hit metal near an RV. The suspect then sped away from the scene.”
Another man told police he saw Corona drive up alone, get out of the pickup truck and aim the shotgun at people. A woman said she saw Corona driving by and firing.
Both of them, prosecutors said, told police they thought they were going to be shot.
According to a police statement Thursday, officers pulled the pickup truck over near the 3600 block of Barrow Street.
“Upon contact, officers immediately noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from Corona,” prosecutors said. “They also noted his eyes were glossy and his speech was slurred.”
The witness who had fought with Corona confirmed to police that he was the driver who fired on the homeless people. Officers also found a Remington pump-action shotgun on the trunk’s center console.
Corona allegedly refused to take field sobriety tests when he was pulled over, or provide a breath sample when he was taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex. Officers instead obtained a search warrant to draw a blood sample from him and did so.
“During the processing, Corona made disparaging remarks towards the homeless population, such as ‘We need to get those f——,’ ‘They’re taking over Anchorage,’ and ‘Hope they don’t make it to (your) neighborhood,’” prosecutors said.
Court records show that Corona made an initial court appearance in the case Wednesday, then was released on $5,000 cash bail. A bail order in the case placed him on electronic monitoring, requiring him to stay at least 500 feet away from the scene of the crime.
Police are asking anyone with information on Tuesday’s incident who has not already spoken with investigators to call them at 311.
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
