Two Alaska State Troopers have been charged with assault after they pepper-sprayed, punched, electrocuted and used a police dog on a man in a case of mistaken identity, authorities said Thursday.
According to the charging documents, when the officers — dog trainer Jason Woodruff and Sergeant Joseph Miller — checked out an SUV parked in the Soldotna area of the Kenai Peninsula southwest of Anchorage on May 24, they thought they were dealing with Garrett Tikka, who was wanted for failing to serve a 10-day sentence on a charge of driving while license revoked.
According to a complaint filed Tuesday by the Alaska Attorney General’s Office of Special Prosecutors, the man in the car was Garrett Tikka’s cousin, Ben Tikka.
The arrest left Ben Tikka covered in blood and requiring surgery to repair torn muscles.
He also suffered a broken shoulder, a cut to the head and a dog bite wound to his upper left arm.
Authorities said at a news conference announcing the charges Thursday that body camera footage of the arrest will not be released until the criminal case is resolved.
But Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell said he has never seen anything like this in his 33 years with the department.
“I was totally disgusted by what I saw,” Cockrell said.
Woodruff’s attorney, Clint Campion, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Online court records do not list an attorney for Miller, and The Associated Press could not immediately find valid contact information for him.
Miller, 49, has been with the Alaska State Troopers for 14 years and most recently served as a shift supervisor in Soldotna, while Woodruff, 42, has been with the state troopers for 16 years.
They are each charged with misdemeanor assault and are scheduled to appear in Kenai County Court on Sept. 10.
Cockrell said both men have been placed on administrative leave and the department is investigating several past incidents involving both men for possible violations of rules.
The incident began with a call about possible illegal camping in a vehicle at a dog park in Soldotna.
According to the complaint, officers were advised the SUV was associated with Garrett Tikka but were unable to verify who was inside the vehicle before telling them he had an outstanding arrest warrant and ordering them to leave.
Ben Tikka responded that he was not the subject of such a warrant and did not immediately exit his vehicle.
Miller then smashed the rear window with a baton and sprayed pepper spray inside the vehicle.
When Tikka got out of the car, Miller kicked him in the shin, punched him in the back of the head and neck and stomped on his head.
Miller then repeatedly used the stun gun on another officer, who has not been charged, as he tried to handcuff him, at one point accidentally shocking the other officer, according to the indictment.
According to the documents, Tikka was lying face down with his hands behind his back when he was bitten multiple times by a police dog named Olex, who had also bitten his owner, Woodruff, minutes before.
Tikka tried to get away from the dog, but Woodruff ordered the dog to continue biting. The dog tried to bite Tikka, but a bloody Tikka obeyed the command by holding up his hands and pleading, “Stop the dog. Stop the dog.”
Cockrell said the dog has been removed from duty.
It was only when Tikka was taken to the hospital that another officer confirmed he was Ben Tikka and not Garrett.
Officers arrested Ben Tikka on multiple charges, including fourth-degree assault for placing officers in fear of bodily harm, but the Kenai District Attorney’s Office later dismissed the case.
Deputy State Attorney General John Skidmore said the state has previously brought excessive force charges against police officers in Bethel and Anchorage, but he cannot recall such charges being brought against any officers in his 25 years with the state.
According to the charging documents, Miller told investigators that if Tikka had simply gotten out of the vehicle and followed instructions, no force would have been used.
Asked if the force used by the officers in this situation was reasonable, he said, “My understanding is, it was reasonable.”
Investigators with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation said Woodruff told Tikka he was following training on using the dog.
He said that when Tikka got out of the car he was “very angry.”
“Was he hitting or anything like that? No. But he was still resisting,” the indictment quotes Woodruff as saying.
