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Arizona arrest of ‘very dangerous’ Alpena suspect detailed

Allan Jerome Hughes, Jr

ALPENA — A man arrested in Arizona in conjunction with a recent home invasion, assault, and manhunt in Alpena had “high violence potential,” according to police reports.

The May 4 arrest of Allan Hughes, 28, in Phoenix stemmed from an Alpena Police Department investigation of a break-in at an Alpena home and ensuing police search for two armed men on April 27.

Although two discarded guns possibly involved in the assault were found after the escape, the Scottsdale, Arizona police asked to assist in Hughes’ arrest were told by Michigan State Police that Hughes was believed to be still armed and “very dangerous,” according to police reports obtained by The News from the Scottsdale Police Department.

Police believe the Wyoming, Michigan man and another man broke into an Alpena home, beat a resident, and eluded capture by climbing a fence near Decorative Panels International, according to news releases from the Alpena Police Department.

Early in the investigation, according to an Alpena Police Department news release, police learned Hughes had fled Alpena. Police have not said how they learned Hughes’ identity. On April 30, the Alpena County Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest.

A special assignments unit of the Scottsdale Police Department was assigned to arrest Hughes, who has a criminal history including numerous drug offenses and burglary, according to the Scottsdale police reports.

Identifying Hughes by photos from his social media account and a prior booking photo, police followed Hughes and another man, Malik Claybrook, as they drove in a Chevrolet Malibu to a fast-food restaurant.

In the lot, police watched a third man walk up to Hughes’ side of the Malibu and conduct what appeared to be a hand-to-hand sale of something, the report said.

Police waited until the Malibu started to leave and then used a vehicle immobilization tactic known as a “parking lot jump” to trap the car, according to the report.

As the Malibu pulled out of the lot, officers pulled in front of and behind the car, and a third officer pulled alongside, trapping the driver.

The officers jumped out of their vehicles and pointed guns at Hughes and Claybrook, ordering the men out of the car, according to police reports.

Police released Claybrook and booked Hughes into jail. His cell phone was impounded and later mailed to the Alpena Police Department, which had a warrant for the phone.

The second man involved in the Alpena assault is still at large, as of a May 5 press release from the Alpena Police Department. The assault appears to have been targeted, and the second man poses no threat to the community, according to police, although no further details have been shared.

Multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies have assisted the Alpena Police Department in its investigation, including the Huron Undercover Narcotics Team, the Michigan State Police Sixth District Fugitive Team, and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to Alpena Police Department Chief Joel Jett.

News reporter Crystal Nelson contributed to this story.

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