A man with a tattooed eyeball, face and skull has appeared in an American court charged with shooting at police, stealing cars and robbing homes to fund his drug habit.
The 37-year-old man was arrested on attempted murder and assault charges after authorities say he exchanged gunfire with police at an Anchorage hotel.
Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew said at a news conference he could only speculate on why Jason Barnum started firing at officers from a hotel room bathroom.
He said Barnum was a heroin user who showed symptoms of drug use after the incident which took place last week.
“Someone just blasting away from behind a door, that’s unusual,” Mew said. “And of course they responded in kind, rather quickly.”
A police officer who was working on a burglary investigation was said to be wounded during the exchange.
Jason Walter Barnum was arrested after his release from a hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to his arm.
The heavily tattooed Anchorage man was later held on $500,000 cash-only bail.
Three officers were investigating vehicle break-ins and burglaries in south Anchorage.
Barnum, who said he had not worked in the past six months was appointed a public defender.
by Sasha Dubronitz
