SWAT Response for Barricaded Subject on the 6700-Block of E 6th Avenue

Update at 12:30 PM:

After dropping off Carl Pagel for remand, Anchorage Police were contacted by Correctional Officers from the Anchorage Correctional Complex.  While processing Pagel, COs found drugs concealed inside Pagel’s person.  APD returned to the jail and added the charges of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance IV and Promote Contraband I.

**As a correction to the list of charges Pagel was originally facing, Misconduct Involving a Weapon III – Felon in Possession was also among them.**

Update at 8:00 AM:

At 12:05 AM on April 15, 2024, Anchorage Police received information that 57-year-old Carl Pagel had returned to his residence located in an apartment building on the 6700-block of E 6th Avenue. Pagel had two outstanding misdemeanor warrants related to the original charges of Reckless Driving, Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance IV, Driving under the Influence, Driving While License Revoked, Violate Conditions of Release, and Resisting.  After arriving at the scene, mid-shift patrol officers learned Pagel had barricaded himself inside a room in the apartment, was armed with a long gun, and was making threats to burn down the structure.  The other occupants who had been inside with Pagel were able to leave safely.

Negotiators arrived and conversed with Pagel over the phone in an effort to gain his compliance.  During those conversations, Pagel continued with his repeated threats of arson.  While that was happening, officers were going around to the surrounding units and asking residents to vacate their apartments.  When officers knocked on the door of the unit directly next door to the target apartment, they found three people inside.  Two left the home but one adult male refused to leave even after officers explained the potential danger of him staying.

Police obtained a felony arrest warrant for Pagel for the charges of Terroristic Threats and Violate Conditions of Release.

SWAT arrived and began working the call.  While those efforts were ongoing, Pagel disconnected with negotiators.  He used tools to saw his way through his apartment floor.  He crawled under the building to the neighboring apartment, and then sawed his way through the floor of that unit.  There was a verbal exchange between Pagel and the male who had earlier refused to leave his home.  Pagel was seen running outside the building from his neighbor’s apartment.  There is no indication of any physical altercation occurring between the two men.

Due to the perimeter that officers had set up, Pagel couldn’t go far.  He hunkered down nearby and was ultimately taken into custody by a SWAT arrest team at 4:55 AM without incident.  Carl Pagel was remanded at the Anchorage Jail on his two existing warrants and on the new felony warrant obtained for him that evening.  He was additionally charged with Resisting and Burglary.

Additional Information:  While vacating your home is your choice, officers will only ask you to depart in instances wherein they believe your safety is in jeopardy.  We do understand that abruptly leaving your residence is an inconvenience but keeping you safe is the bigger priority.  Thankfully no one was injured in last night’s incident, but the situation could have easily gone in a different direction when the suspect broke into his neighbor’s occupied apartment.

For information on how to obtain the criminal history of any Alaskan, you may do so online via Court View on the State’s website.

Update at 4:55 AM:

The suspect has been taken into custody.  More details will be forthcoming.

There will be a continued police presence for a period of time while the scene is cleared and processed.  Thank you for your patience.

Original at 2:20 AM:

At 12:05 AM on April 15, 2024, Anchorage Police responded to an apartment complex on the 6700-block of E 6th Avenue regarding an adult male with a warrant.  The subject has barricaded himself inside an apartment; he is believed to be armed and is making threats to harm others.  There is no one else inside the apartment with him.

APD Special Operations has responded to the scene. That work unit includes the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT), the Tactical Support Unit (TSU), the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT), and/or the Mobile Intervention Team (MIT). Depending on the actions of the suspect, our response may require using a variety of tactics and tools (to include the drone) to apprehend him.  This could also involve the deploying of chemical agents; nearby citizens with respiratory illnesses/sensitivities should remain inside and make sure doors and windows are closed.

Please follow officers’ instructions if you are in the area to include evacuation of your home if necessary. If you do not need to be in the vicinity, avoid it and seek alternative routes until further notice.

We ask both the public and the media to refrain from posting/publishing photos and/or video of the scene until the situation is over. Showing tactical positions and movements in these types of situations can put the public and officers’ safety at risk.

We appreciate the community's cooperation and understanding during our response and we will keep you informed of any new developments.

APD Case 24-11606