Man arrested after 'crashing into dog sled race team' in Alaska
One dog died and a number of others are seriously injured
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man has been arrested on suspicion of deliberately crashing into a dog sled race team in Alaska.
Arnold Demoski, 26, from Nulato, was arrested on suspicion of assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and six counts of criminal mischief after his snowmobile collided with two teams of mushers at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. It is believed that at least one dog died in the incident and a number of others are seriously injured.
Aliy Zirkle, 46, says she was mushing with her dogs as part of the race when she was suddenly hit. She claims that Demoski’s vehicle collided with the one she was driving, turned around multiple times, reversed and came back at her for repeated collisions, before eventually driving off. Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters said that Demoski was seen revving up and directing his snowmobile towards Zirkle. Her dogs were bruised but did not sustain serious injuries.
Jeff King, a four time dog sled champion, says he was driving behind Zirkle and was also struck. Local media reports say that his dogs were struck at high speed from behind and a 3-year-old male dog named Nash was killed. Other dogs were seriously injured.
Demoski has said that he has no recollection of the events. He told local media that he spent the evening drinking, awoke the following day and heard about the incident without realising he had been present. He says he realised that he had been involved some time later when he checked his snowmobile and found it had red stains and was damaged.
With additional reporting by AP
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments