Crime & Courts

Anchorage police ask for help locating partly naked man near Westchester Lagoon

Anchorage police are asking for the public's help in locating a partially naked man who was seen near Westchester Lagoon on Wednesday afternoon.

"We do not know what his motive is … we are looking for him for both his safety and for the safety of our citizens," spokeswoman Renee Oistad wrote in an email.

Around 3 p.m., police got complaints about a man who was partially naked on the east side of Minesota Drive, across from Westchester Lagoon.

"One person said he was completely naked and the other said he was naked from the waist down," Oistad wrote in an email.

Since then, police have been searching for the man, described as "a light-skinned or mixed-race black male," but they have come up empty-handed.

Police believe he may be suffering from mental illness, or under the influence of drugs.

"No sexually-related behavior was observed," Oistad wrote.

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"Should you witness anyone engaging in this type of behavior, please contact Police Dispatch at 786-8900," Oistad wrote.

"Police would like to not only ensure the safety of our citizens, but provide help to those who need it.Someone who is not properly dressed for the weather could succumb to hypothermia or other weather-related injuries."

Laurel Andrews

Laurel Andrews was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in October 2018.

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