Snowmobiler 'intentionally' killed sled dog during race

A man has been arrested after allegedly intentionally driving a snowmobile into teams of two mushers near the front of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

One dog was killed and three others hurt in the incident.

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Arnold Demoski, 26, was arrested on suspicion of assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and six counts of criminal mischief, reports the Daily Telegraph.

He has apologised for the incident in a Yukon River village of Alaska, but says he doesn't remember what happened as he had been returning from a night out drinking.

He struck teams in the race run by Aliy Zirkle and Jeff King. Zirkle was mushing from Kokukuk to Nulato, a run of less than 32 kilometres on the Yukon River, when she was hit. One of her dogs was left bruised.

According to CBC News, Zirkle told officials she hadn't believed it was an accident, saying: "I'm really bad. Someone tried to kill me with a snowmachine."

King, a four-time Iditarod champion, was behind Zirkle. When he reached the vicinity 12 miles outside of Nulato, his team was struck from behind by the snowmobile, and a dog called Nash was killed.

He said he gave first aid to other dogs before taking them for treatment on his sled.

He said: "It seemed like an act of bravado. It is beyond comprehension to me that this was not related to substance abuse. No one in their right mind would do what this person did."

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