Two Alaska state troopers who pepper-sprayed, beat, stunned and used a police dog on a man in a case of mistaken identity have been charged with assault, authorities said Thursday.
Charging documents say the officers — handler Jason Woodruff and Sergeant Joseph Miller — believed they were dealing with Garrett Tikka, a man wanted for failing to serve a 10-day sentence for driving with a revoked license, on May 24 when they checked an SUV parked in the community of Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula southwest of Anchorage.
In fact, the man inside the vehicle was Garrett Tikka’s cousin, Ben Tikka, according to charges filed Tuesday by the Alaska Attorney General’s Office of Special Prosecutions. The arrest left Ben Tikka bloodied and in need of surgery to repair muscle lacerations. He also suffered a broken shoulder, cuts to his head and an open dog bite on his left arm.
At a news conference Thursday announcing the charges against him, authorities said they would not release the body camera video that captured the arrest until the criminal case is resolved. But James Cockrell, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety, said he had never seen anything like it in his 33 years with the department.
“I was absolutely 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 was not immediately able to find valid contact information for him.
Miller, 49, has been with the Alaska State Troopers for 14 years, most recently assigned as a shift supervisor in Soldotna. Woodruff, 42, has been with the troops for 16 years.
They were each charged with one count of misdemeanor assault and are scheduled to appear in Kenai State Court on Sept. 10. Both have been placed on administrative leave, Cockrell said, and the department is reviewing some past cases in which they were involved for possible policy violations.
The case began with a call about a possible illegal camping in a vehicle at a dog park in Soldotna. Officers were told the SUV was associated with Garrett Tikka, but they couldn’t confirm who was inside before telling the occupant he was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant and ordering him to come out, according to the charges.
Ben Tikka responded that he was not the subject of such a warrant and that he did not immediately exit the vehicle.
Miller smashed a rear window with a baton, then fired pepper spray inside. When Tikka got out, Miller kicked him in the shin, punched him in the back of the head or neck, and stepped on his head.
He then repeatedly used a stun gun on him as another officer, who was not charged, tried to handcuff him — at one point, Miller accidentally knocked the other officer unconscious, according to charging documents.
As Tikka lay face down on the ground with his hands behind his back, he was bitten several times by the police dog, named Olex, who had also bitten his handler, Woodruff, minutes earlier, the documents state.
Tikka tried to get away from the dog and Woodruff ordered him to continue biting; the dog complied, attacking Tikka even as the blood-covered Tikka complied with orders to raise his hands and plead, “Please stop the dog. Please stop the dog.”
The dog has been retired from service, Cockrell said.
It was only as Tikka was being taken to the hospital that another soldier confirmed it was Ben Tikka and not Garrett.
Officers arrested Ben Tikka on several charges, including fourth-degree assault for putting officers in fear of physical harm. The Kenai County District Attorney’s Office later closed the case.
Assistant Attorney General John Skidmore said the state has previously brought excessive force charges against officers in Bethel and Anchorage, but he could not recall such charges being brought against any officer in his 25 years with the state.
According to charging documents, Miller told investigators that no force would have been used if Tikka had simply gotten out of the vehicle and followed commands. When asked if the force used by officers in this situation was reasonable, he responded, “My understanding is, yes.”
Alaska Bureau of Investigation investigators said Woodruff told them he was following his training to use the dog on Tikka. He described Tikka as being “super upset” when he got out of the vehicle.
“Was he punching or anything like that? No. However, he was still resisting,” Woodruff said in charging documents.
