Pedestrian killed on A Street by driver with revoked license, police say
May 22—Update, 11 a.m. Wednesday:
Anchorage police on Wednesday identified 33-year-old Annie Berntsen as the woman who died after she was struck by a car near the Chester Creek area on Monday.
Original story:
A woman who ran across A Street near Anchorage's Chester Creek area Monday evening was hit and killed by a driver who left the scene and was driving on a revoked license, charges filed in the case said.
The pedestrian, whom police did not immediately identify, had been standing in the grass on the west side of the A Street near 16th Avenue when she suddenly ran into the road around 6:15 p.m., according to a summary of police reports written by Assistant District Attorney David Buettner.
Police on Monday identified 40-year-old Larry W. Anderson Jr. as the driver who struck the woman.
His license is permanently revoked because of a 2021 felony-level conviction for driving under the influence in Fairbanks, according to the summary.
The incident occurred in a long stretch of A Street between 16th Avenue and Fireweed Lane that borders the Chester Creek sports complex and greenbelt, police said.
The driver of a black pickup swerved to avoid hitting her as he drove north on A Street going about 45 miles per hour, according to the summary. The driver told police the vehicle behind him, a Dodge Charger police said they later determined was being driven by Anderson, may have swerved slightly before striking the woman, according to the summary. He told officers he did not think the driver behind him could have seen the woman before striking her, according to the summary.
The driver of the Charger stopped briefly and got out of his car after striking the woman, but then drove away, the summary said.
Two other drivers stopped and one tried to provide first aid to the woman, the summary said. She was declared dead at the scene when medics arrived, police said.
Officers found the Charger unoccupied and parked behind a gas station a little more than a mile away from the scene, the summary said. The car had obvious damage that was consistent with hitting a pedestrian, according to the summary.
A gas station employee identified Anderson, who was getting into a cab, as the car's driver, the summary said. Officers ordered Anderson to get out of the cab and he was interviewed at the police's downtown headquarters, the summary said.
During the interview, Anderson told police he was driving the car, the summary said. He was also wearing an ankle monitor and was prohibited from drinking alcohol or consuming drugs, the summary said.
Anderson is facing charges of driving with a revoked license, leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to render aid, police said. He was in custody at the Anchorage Correctional Complex on Tuesday morning.
