A suspect fleeing from Anchorage police tried to flag down plainclothes troopers for help after the car he was in got stuck in the snow, according to officials.
Around 11:15 a.m., multiple calls started coming in to police about two people in a maroon GMC pickup who were dragging a large green gun safe on a pallet in the 7000 block of Alatna Avenue, said Anchorage Police Department spokesman MJ Thim.
When police arrived, they found a woman and man outside the truck, which was parked on a hill in the area. The woman was taken into custody, but the man fled.
The man ran to the 1100 block of Nebesna Drive, where he stole a 1971 Chevrolet pickup. He abandoned it around Hillside Drive and O'Malley Road, Thim said.
Around 1 p.m., police sent out an alert that they were searching for an armed suspect in area.
Meanwhile, Alaska State Troopers with the Palmer Criminal Suppression Unit were in the area "conducting surveillance on an unrelated investigation," troopers said in a written statement.
The troopers were in an unmarked car, wearing plainclothes. They were driving in the area of Michigan Boulevard and Wildwood Drive when the suspect waved them down for help.
Troopers circled back to find the suspect and a second man trying to get a silver 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 out of the snow.
Thim said police believe the man had been running toward the Dodge Ram so he could get away.
"What we believe is that the Dodge Ram was waiting, was somehow connected to the activities of these two suspects," Thim said.
By 1:45 p.m., the two men were in custody. Thim wasn't sure whether the original suspect was armed.
All three suspects — the woman and two men — were in custody and questioned Friday evening. Their names weren't being released, Thim said.
There's also the question of whose safe was being dragged. Police asked anyone in the area who is missing a large green safe or has noticed anything suspicious at their residence to contact dispatch at 907-786-8900.