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Man charged with attempted murder and kidnapping refuses to show for arraignment while in custody
- Jasz Garrett
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
After a brief police chase and standoff, Pharoah Akhenaten faces federal warrant, 17 state charges
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
A man accused of attempted murder and kidnapping was captured Monday after fleeing officers and ramming a police vehicle before surrendering, according to the Juneau Police Department and court records.
Pharoah Akhenaten, 45, was arrested in the 25000 block of Glacier Highway after a brief standoff. He pulled into the driveway of a residence and exited a vehicle while carrying a handgun, according to a JPD press release issued Wednesday.
“Akhenaten failed to comply with officers’ commands to drop the firearm and continued toward the residence,” the release states. “Officers maintained distance, used clear verbal commands, and worked to safely contain the situation.”
The standoff lasted less than 15 seconds, Deputy Chief Krag Campbell said Wednesday. He said no officers or members of the public were injured, and Akhenaten complied and was taken into custody without further incident.
The police vehicle struck by Akhenaten sustained about $4,000 in damage. In addition to the firearm in his possession, a second handgun was located on his person. Officers later determined the residence near 25 mile Glacier Highway was unoccupied and had no connection to Akhenaten.
On Thursday, Akhenaten missed his third scheduled arraignment at Juneau’s Dimond Courthouse. He is currently in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center. Judge Kirsten Swanson said the arraignment will be rescheduled for Friday at 10:30 a.m.
Swanson said she will give Akhenaten one more opportunity to appear voluntarily before taking additional measures.
Akhenaten’s arrest followed a month-long investigation into multiple alleged felony and misdemeanor offenses, which included reports of domestic violence.
According to court records, Akhenaten is accused of assaulting his partner, holding her at gunpoint multiple times, and firing a shot near her head on one occasion. The court records contain witness accounts of him striking the victim and choking her.
In addition to the local charges, Akhenaten had an outstanding federal arrest warrant for a probation violation related to an original charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to JPD and court records. He also has a prior felony conviction for driving under the influence in 2016.
Akhenaten was lodged on the following charges, in addition to the federal warrant:
Attempted murder in the first degree (an unclassified felony)
Kidnapping (unclassified felony)
Assault in the second degree (Class B felony)
Three counts of assault in the third degree (Class C felony)
Eight counts of misconduct involving weapons in the third degree (Class C felony)
Failure to stop at the direction of a police officer (Class C felony)
Misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fifth degree (Class A misdemeanor)
Driving without a valid operator’s license (Class A misdemeanor)
Campbell said the investigation included interviews with the complainant, victims, witnesses, and gathering evidence, as well as attempting to contact Akhenaten to get information.
That was the case at The Alaska Club in the Mendenhall Valley on April 7, when JPD believed Akhenaten was inside a van. Police tried to contact him, but he was not there.
“It can take a long time because he has a warrant so he’s trying to hide from us and is not readily available to locate,” Campbell said. “I think it just kind of highlights some excellent work by our staff in following up on these types of complaints in trying to keep the community safe.”
JPD encourages anyone with information related to the case to contact the department at 907-586-0600 or submit an anonymous tip through Juneau Crime Line.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
