The girl was knocked unconscious and is in critical but stable condition at Providence Alaska Medical Center with head trauma, said police spokeswoman Marlene Lammers.
The incident happened about 4:45 p.m. in the 3300 block of Eide Street.
Byron Edward Syvinski, 32, was taken into custody at the scene, but was sent to a local hospital for medical evaluation, and he remains a patient, police said. Syvinski was initially taken to the Anchorage Jail, but the jail asked that he be taken to the hospital for evaluation, Lammers said.
Syvinski lives in the neighborhood, they said.
An arrest warrant was issued charging him with third- and fourth-degree assault and first-degree robbery.
When he is released from the hospital, he will be arrested and taken to Anchorage jail, police said.
Minutes before the girl was beaten up, the man had accosted a 17-year-old boy outside the apartment building where the young man lives, said police.
Syvinski is reported to have grabbed a bag from the boy and started going through it. He eventually gave it back.
The boy's father told the man to leave, police said. As the father tried to shut the door of their home, Syvinksi punched the father in the face with his fist, police said.
Syvinksi then walked down the road and came across the little girl.
Witnesses told police he tried to force her off her bike and, when that didn't work, struck her in the head and knocked her to the ground. She lost consciousness. He punched her several more times and went through her pockets, witnesses told police.
Police arrived and ordered the man to the ground. He fought being taken into custody, and police handcuffed both his feet and hands.
Reach Rosemary Shinohara at rshinohara@adn.com or 257-4340.
