Two men arrested after barricading in car during Fairbanks traffic stop

Two men barricaded themselves inside a car near College Road and Aurora in Fairbanks early Sunday after a driver failed to stop for police, Alaska State Troopers said. Troopers identified them as Brandon Hill, 33, of North Pole, and Aiden Woods, 24, of Healy.

Troopers tried to stop a white 2016 Dodge Charger at about 6:53 a.m. on Aug. 2 for reckless driving. The vehicle did not yield, then came to a stop. University of Alaska Fairbanks police officers assisted troopers and the Fairbanks Police Department with the barricaded occupants.

Hill and Woods were arrested on charges of failure to stop, driving under the influence, misconduct involving weapons, misconduct involving controlled substances, and refusal to submit to a chemical test. Troopers said the charges are accusations and that both men are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The dispatch contains only the troopers' account. It includes no statements from either man or an attorney.

The stop sits inside a broader Alaska debate over how far enforcement should go when drivers flee. State public-safety agencies argue that visible, sustained enforcement of impaired and reckless driving on corridors such as College Road deters serious crashes. The ACLU of Alaska has raised concerns about police use of force and high-risk enforcement tactics. The group argues that pursuits and barricade situations in populated areas can endanger bystanders and should emphasize de-escalation.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities notes that driver behavior, including impaired and reckless driving, is a key factor in crashes on state roads. The department says residents and road users along busy corridors are the ones most exposed when a stop escalates. UAF, whose officers responded here, says campus police work with local and state agencies on public-safety threats on nearby roads used daily by students and staff.