Man crashes car into Wasilla Police Department front doors, sprays bear spray
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Wasilla, AK - A 41-year-old Palmer man crashed a car into the lobby doors of the Wasilla Police Department and deployed bear spray in an attempt to intentionally hurt police officers on Wednesday evening, police said in an update on Thursday.
Security footage released by the department shows the entire incident, which occurred at 4:43 p.m., according to the video’s timestamp.
The video shows the car being driven across the department’s north entrance parking lot, around concrete barriers, then over the grass lawn and into the glass doors at the entry foyer.
Police identified the driver as 41-year-old Thomas Desalvo II.
The car became wedged between the damaged front doors and the entryway walls, failing to breach the second set of doors.
Desalvo, who police say was wearing a mask, then took out a can of bear spray from inside the car and attempted to spray it at an officer who had entered the lobby. The bear spray had no effect, according to WPD.
Officers approached the car and ordered Desalvo to keep his hands up. Desalvo complied and kept his hands visible until additional law enforcement arrived.
One member of the public was inside the lobby at the time and was not hurt, police said. However, police state that one officer was assaulted by Desalvo while attempting to assist him with medical treatment.
Desalvo also allegedly made statements indicating that he should have run the officers over.
During the arrest, officers observed multiple unusual wires inside the vehicle running to a dashboard switch and around the cabin.
Police evacuated the department and nearby high school ball fields as a precaution while officers investigated the vehicle.
Anchorage FBI special agent bomb technicians and members of the Anchorage Bomb Squad responded and determined there was no further threat from the vehicle.