INFORMATION RELEASE

On March 25, 2013, at 6:51 AM, the Juneau Police Department received two reports of an erratic driver on Egan Drive. One of the callers reported last seeing the vehicle, a silver truck with dual rear wheels, in the area of Anka Street. A JPD officer responded to that area and located a vehicle matching the description: a silver 1996 one-ton GMC pickup. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle on Commercial Boulevard, but the truck did not stop. The truck made a U-turn, and continued in the opposite direction at high speed. The officer discontinued the stop and did not pursue the vehicle.

A second officer located what appeared to be a crash scene shortly after, near the intersection of Glacier Highway and Alaway Avenue. The single vehicle involved was the same 1996 GMC which fled the scene of the traffic stop on Commercial Boulevard.

There were two persons inside the truck, including a 22 year-old man and a 17 year-old female. Both were detained and evaluated by Capital City Fire and Rescue medics. Both had minor injuries, and were not transported by CCFR. The truck was totaled in the crash, and was determined to have been stolen earlier from a Mendenhall Valley residence.

The female, a Hoonah resident, was released to a guardian.

The man, Darren Baines, a Ketchikan resident, was transported by JPD to the Bartlett Regional Hospital. He was later lodged at the Lemon Creek Correctional where he was charged with Vehicle Theft in the First Degree, Failure to Stop at the Direction of a Peace Officer in the First Degree, Assault in the Third Degree, Driving with a Revoked License, and Driving Under the Influence. In addition, Baines had an outstanding Alaska State Trooper warrant charging Escape in the Second Degree, with a bail amount of $10,000. As a result of the additional felony charges, he was held without bail.