A man who Anchorage police say drove a stolen car through an intersection earlier this month, striking an SUV and leaving three people including himself in critical condition, was arrested upon his release Tuesday from a local hospital for treatment of hip injuries.
APD spokesperson Lt. Dave Parker says 24-year-old Joplin, Mo. resident Kevin Wright has been charged with first-degree and second-degree assault, first-degree vehicle theft, felony eluding and driving without a valid driver’s license.
According to police, Wright and four passengers were in a stolen 2005 silver Dodge sedan which an APD officer began pursuing south on C Street at about 11 p.m. on Dec. 9. The sedan ran a red light at 15th Avenue, striking a Chevrolet Blazer SUV driven by 31-year-old Mylinda Forrester, who was partially ejected from her vehicle.
Parker says none of the sedan’s passengers have been charged with a crime, and that with Wright’s arrest Forrester is the only person involved in the collision who is still hospitalized.
Forrester's condition was upgraded from critical to serious shortly after the crash, but she remains in intensive care. She was able to communicate with family members and medical staff when Parker visited her Tuesday, and he said her condition has significantly improved since the crash.
“She was in bad shape when they took her to the hospital -- she was in dire shape,” Parker said.
Wright is being held on $50,000 bail. He is set to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.
Contact Chris Klint
