Anchorage man charged with firearm crime connected to September encounter with Anchorage Police

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging an Anchorage man with being a felon in possession of a firearm during an encounter with the police.

According to court documents and a press release from the Anchorage Police Department (APD), on Sept. 23, 2024, Jalen Baker, 23, possessed a firearm during an encounter with police.

The release alleges APD officers responded to a shooting in Anchorage where two victims were shot. Officers located the shooting suspect in a nearby trailer home park. The suspect fired at responding officers, striking one in the lower body, and barricaded himself inside a trailer home.

The investigation identified the suspect as Baker and he was taken into custody at the scene. At the time of the event, Baker had a prior felony conviction for assault in the State of Alaska in 2022.

Baker is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm at a school zone. The defendant will make his initial court appearance on a later date before a U.S. Magistrate Judge from the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais and Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Anchorage Police Department, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers, are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody Tirpak is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.