Sand Point drug bust turns violent as boat captain brings hatchet to a gunfight

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Sand Point vista. Photo credit: Aleutians East Borough.

Sand Point police officers found themselves in a life-or-death struggle on Sunday after a fishing vessel captain attempted to escape a drug seizure and confronted officers with a hatchet.

On Sept. 1, at around 1:50 pm, Sand Point Police Department officers were guarding a docked, unoccupied fishing vessel that had been seized as part of an Alaska State Trooper–led drug trafficking investigation.

When the boat’s captain boarded and tried to flee, officers quickly followed him onto the vessel. As they breached the bridge, the man pulled out a hatchet, turning the confrontation into what authorities described as an attack with a deadly weapon. Faced with the threat, a Sand Point officer opened fire, striking the suspect.

The man received immediate emergency medical care and was later medevaced for further treatment. No officers or bystanders were injured and the man appeared to have survived. He has not been identified by Troopers yet.

A subsequent search of the vessel uncovered approximately 600 grams of methamphetamine and 35 grams of heroin. Troopers estimate the street value of the drugs in Sand Point at nearly $1 million.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigation has taken over the officer-involved shooting inquiry at the request of the Sand Point Police Department. Once completed, the findings will be independently reviewed by the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions.

The incident highlights the high stakes of drug trafficking in Alaska’s remote communities—and how quickly a tense standoff can escalate when someone brings a hatchet to a gunfight.

26 COMMENTS

  1. I don’t get it. The cops shoot the guy and then give him emergency medical treatment and a medevac. Send the cops back to the shooting range for more practice so there’s no need for this waste of money.

    • when they asked the Florida sheriff why when they confronted suspect who had murdered a patrolman they ended up shooting him over 80 times he replied ” because that’s when we ran out of bullets” 😂

    • Police are trained and required to shoot at center mass with a minimal number of shots to neutralize the threat. In other words, they didn’t miss. If they didn’t act immediately and commence first aid, the state would be sued by the relatives. The officers could also lose their jobs and possibly be sued.

    • It’s Sand Point, a small, shrinking village w/ less then 600 people.
      Not your average Police Dept.
      In addition, the cop may know the Captain very well or even be related to him.
      This small village stuff gets complicated.

  2. Next time, call the US Navy’s rapid response team. Just fire a precision air strike on the boat and blow it to smithereens. Trump did that today on a Venezuelan drug boat in open water. Best remedy for slowing down drug traffickers, such as this sleazebag in Sand Point.

  3. I’d bet a nickel that this man’s name starts with D. If so he’s a gentleman well known for giving nets belonging to other fisherman a courtesy check late at night. He’s never been bothered by ethical matters and the late night flashlight work helps boost his catch rate through some kind of voodoo that is difficult to understand unless you’ve seen the light yourself.

  4. The officer involved should be reprimanded & sent back to the range.

    I look forward to MRA doing a follow-up on the story & naming the perp.

  5. Further proof that his persistent desire to retain his catch earned him a lead trophy and a free ride to the ER.

    It is no wonder the Chinese are so confident in their ability to take control of America through the exportation and flooding of the USA with drugs that redefine stupidity.

    Hunter Biden was a perfect guinea pig for their experiment using just enough cash to make him self implode and nearly take down his entire family if not for the Presidential powers to grant pardons for the Biden Regime money laundering scam.
    Drugs and crime do pay when your daddy is the worlds “Kingpin”.
    Democrats in DC are still proud of their catch….fun to sit back and watch them praise him on “The View”.

    • “…….It is no wonder the Chinese are so confident in their ability to take control of America through the exportation and flooding of the USA with drugs that redefine stupidity……….”
      This is because China itself was a victim of this strategy for centuries. They’re now playing it against the U.S., and we’re stupid enough to fall for it.

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