ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Emergency services responded Friday night to a hit-and-run accident in which a driver knocked over a fuel pump at a Chevron gas station in Spenard.
Anchorage Police Department Sgt. Michael Kerle says shortly before 6 p.m., a truck driven by 41-year-old John Hoff spun out of control then hit and knocked the gas pump onto the ground, slamming it into a nearby minivan.“I just heard the car hit the gas pump – boom! And he ran away,” said the minivan’s driver, Boun Thanh Kanhalikham.
Flames were spewing 5 to 10 feet out of the gas pump, which was on fire for 10 minutes before it was extinguished by firefighters. No one was injured.
Hoff continued driving away and left the scene, but witnesses got his truck's description and license-plate number. Police were able to catch Hoff Downtown.
“He's not a person, he's some kind of animal,” Kanhalikham said. “Maybe he was drinking or something, I don't know. He ran away from his problem.”
Hoff is charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. His bail has been set at $15,000 cash, plus a third-party custodian.
Contact Jason Lamb at jlamb@ktuu.com
