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Two armed men charged with impersonating SWAT officers, handcuffing people at Sandy Beach
- Mark Sabbatini
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Adam Scott Murphy and Christopher Scott Johnson Jr. each facing a misdemeanor charge; city attorney says detained people may have been willing participants
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Two armed men in full SWAT-like tactical gear are each facing a misdemeanor impersonation charge after handcuffing and taking two people away from an area at Sandy Beach, according to court documents.
Adam Scott Murphy, 28, and Christopher Scott Johnson Jr., 21, were arrested by Juneau Police Department officers after observers reported what appeared to be suspicious detentions by the two men.
"Officers arrived at Sandy Beach, where several other witnesses pointed us in the direction of the subjects," a charging document in the case notes. "Witnesses said they observed the subjects…placing two other people in handcuffs and then walking them off the beach in those cuffs."
JPD officers located Murphy and Johnson, who were "wearing all black tactical-style boots, pants, belts, plate carriers, balaclavas, and what appeared to be ballistic helmets," according to the charging document. Both men were also carrying loaded Glock 40-caliber handguns in holsters on their tactical belts, pepper spray in holsters and handcuffs in carrying cases.
Murphy and Johnson were arraigned in Juneau District Court on Aug. 17 on a single charge each of impersonating a public servant, a class B misdemeanor. City Attorney Emily Wright said in an interview Friday that the city, as the prosecutors in the case, is basing charges on circumstances of the case that are still being fully determined.
"The information that the officers had is that the people that they were ‘arresting’ was it was people that they knew, and that it may have been a joke or it may have been play."
Wright said the case could be turned over to state prosecutors if it appears more serious charges may be warranted.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
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