A face-and-eye tattooed man accused of shooting at cops in September 2012 has taken a plea deal and will spend 26 years in prison with four years suspended.
Friday, Jason Barnum — also known as “Eyeball” — pleaded guilty to attempted murder, burglary and misconduct involving a weapon, said Assistant District Attorney Clint Campion.
Anchorage police say Barnum shot at them during a standoff at the Merrill Field Inn after officers investigating a string of burglaries traced a stolen car to the area. Police were able to connect three people to the car, one of whom was Barnum. Officer Dan Thyen was injured in the shooting.
According to charging documents, Barnum admitted to stealing from homes to feed his heroin addiction. Several officers attended the Friday court appearance where Campion says Barnum apologized.
While Barnum may have apologized, Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew offered a contrasting view of Barnum’s character.
“I propose that Jason Barnum sets in motion cascading events he intends not to curtail,” Mew said addressing the court. “When presented with decision points- crossroads where he has options that could aggravate or mitigate- he invariably selects the most provocative, the most violent. Mr. Barnum’s life is a runaway freight train. He won’t control it, and we can’t. The court must take this opportunity to protect the public from more of Jason Barnum.”