Due to an observant citizen, Shawn Lynch facing gun, drug, and theft charges
At 8:06 AM on June 22, 2022, Anchorage Police responded to a burglary to a business on the 3300-block of C Street that had occurred sometime the previous evening. It was discovered that two laptops had been stolen from an office inside the building.
At 11:43 AM on September 7, 2022, two firearms were reported as stolen to APD. The guns had been stolen from an unlocked Ford pickup while it was parked outside a residence on the 3300-block of Purdue Street.
At 11:47 PM on September 8, 2022, a citizen called APD to report suspicious activity. The caller stated there was a U-Haul box truck parked in front of an abandoned building on the 900-block of Chugach Way. The caller further stated there were several people holding flashlights while riding bikes around the property. The first officer who arrived on scene watched the property from a distance while waiting for backup units to arrive. That first officer saw two people riding bicycles on the property and he saw two other people inside the U-Haul.
The people on the property had not noticed the first officer but they did see the second officer arrive. That arrival prompted the two bicyclists to flee the scene westbound on Chugach Way. At the same time, the U-Haul fled southbound on Indiana Street. The driver of the U-Haul pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex on the 3800-block of Indiana. The passenger jumped out of the box truck and ran inside a nearby apartment building.
Officers contacted the U-Haul’s driver, 42-year-old Shawn D. Lynch, as Lynch was exiting the truck. A computer check revealed Lynch was a convicted felon and that he had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for his arrest. While one officer was conversing with Lynch, the other officer saw drug paraphernalia, two rabbits in a cage, a substance that appeared to be heroin, and other property all lying in plain view inside the U-Haul. During the pat search officers found a driver’s license on Lynch’s person that did not belong to him.
Knowing he was going to jail for the warrant, Lynch asked the officers if he could call his roommate to come pick up the rabbits. The roommate was contacted, and she subsequently arrived on scene. As the officer was removing the rabbit cage from the U-Haul, he saw a gun holster underneath. The officer was unable to see if the holster was empty or not.
Lynch was transported to the Anchorage Police Department for questioning by detectives. While the interview was taking place, the patrol officers searched the U-Haul after they obtained a search warrant. From the U-Haul they recovered one of the guns that had been reported as stolen on September 7th, and they also recovered one of the laptops that had been reported stolen on June 22nd. Heroin and Methamphetamine were found and seized as evidence.
After speaking with detectives, Shawn Lynch was remanded at the Anchorage Jail on his existing warrant. He was additionally charged with Theft II – Firearm, Theft II – Theft from a Building, two counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance V, Misconduct Involving a Weapon II – Drug Crime, Misconduct Involving a Weapon III – Felon in Possession, and Theft II – Access Device.
The passenger in the U-Haul, and the two bicyclists from the Chugach Way property, were not located. This investigation is ongoing.
If you see something, say something. APD is grateful to the citizen who noticed the suspicious activity and took the time to report it to authorities.
APD Cases 22-20237, 22-29167, and 22-29376
To view the criminal history of any Alaskan, you may do so online via Court View on the State’s website
