Anchorage police say two men died in separate incidents over the Labor Day weekend, including an unsolved hit-and-run collision as well as a police chase that partially closed the Glenn Highway.
The vehicle-pedestrian collision that killed Arthur Stepetin Jr., 63, happened about 8 p.m. Friday at Boniface Parkway and East Northern Lights Boulevard. Police said Anchorage Fire Department medics took Stepetin to a hospital, where he died of his injuries.
“Further investigation revealed (Stepetin) was not in a crosswalk when he was struck by a Jeep Cherokee driving westbound in the left lane of Northern Lights (Boulevard),” police said in a Tuesday update. “The vehicle has been located.”
Police had not released any information on a suspect as of Tuesday and said no charges have been filed so far.
Stepetin is the 10th person to be struck and killed by a driver on local roads this year, after a June 19 collision that left a cyclist dead and a driver accused of manslaughter.
Police and firefighters responded to a reported arson on the 4900 block of Rollins Drive, off East Tudor Road near Boniface Parkway, at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Police identified a man suspected in the case, who hasn’t yet been named, and tried to stop his vehicle.
Police said the man did not stop for officers, until police used “vehicle tactics” to stop him on the Glenn Highway near its Fort Richardson exit.
“Upon the stop the suspect produced a firearm and proceeded to fire a round sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” police said.
Police and medics provided CPR to the man, who ultimately died at the scene. The highway’s outbound lanes were closed for hours as police investigated.
A police spokesperson said Tuesday that no APD officers fired their weapons during their chase of the suspect's Toyota Tundra pickup truck. No other collisions or injuries were reported during the chase.
Police are asking anyone with information about Friday’s hit-and-run collision to call them at 311. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at Anchorage Crime Stoppers.
