Off The Record

Eyeball Tattooed Menace—22-Year Sentence for Shooting Officers at Alaskan Motel

Published on December 22, 2023

People were more interested in the tattoo that covered the white of Jason Barnum’s right eye than in the crime itself as the 37-year-old approached the courthouse and pled guilty to shooting a police officer in Anchorage, Alaska.

Barnum became famous quite suddenly, earning the nickname “Eyeball” in the process.

Nevertheless, word spread that he was actually the son of a much-loved American actor, and he began serving his lengthy term.

Barnum opened fire on a police officer in 2012 after the latter visited the hotel room where he was sleeping in the course of an investigation into car break-ins and burglaries in Anchorage’s southern neighborhoods.

After the officers came out of the hotel room and began firing back at Barnum, numerous other officers quickly joined in. Guests were ordered to leave the hotel by the police. Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams arrived at the location shortly thereafter.

Barnum got a sentence of more than 20 years for his actions, whereas the wounded officer only suffered injuries.

A bag containing valuables was discovered in the hotel room by the police. It turned out that Barnum had committed a string of crimes. He broke into people’s homes and stole cars to fund his heroin habit.

Following his arraignment, bail was set at half a million dollars for one count of attempted murder and two counts of criminal assault. His response to questions about his understanding of the charges against him and his desire for legal representation was a simple “Sure, why not.”

Barnum was a notorious felon who had a lengthy criminal record, having been charged with and found guilty of fourteen offenses before his most recent one.

Everyone in the courtroom took note of his striking appearance the second he stepped foot in the room. Among the many tattoos adorning his body, the one in his eye stood out. He has a black tattoo on the white of his right eye.

Even though those kinds of tattoos are commonplace now, they were very odd back in the day.

“I think Jason Barnum decided a long time ago that his life was about being hostile to people,” Anchorage Police Department Chief Mark Mew told local reporters. “It seems to me that he wakes up everyday wanting to do bad things to innocent folks and wants everybody to know it.”

Barnum asserted that he was coerced into a life of crime following his inability to secure employment due to his tattoos.

“I was living on the streets, and I tried to get a job, but of course, my beautiful face didn’t allow me to do that,” Barnum said during the hearing.

While he admittedly bore the most of the responsibility, he also laid the blame at the feet of the Alaska Department of Corrections, saying that they had failed to assist him following his 2010 release from jail. “I tried man, I apolozige to the folks who are hurt from this.”

Police Chief Mark Mew addressed the matter prior to the sentencing.

“I’m going to stick my neck out here and state the obvious. I’d like you to take a look at Mr. Barnum. He has the right to do this to himself and to express himself,” he said. “We can’t sentence him for that, but I think we can consider a guy’s attitude and his behavior.

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Little is known about “Eyeball” at this time, however he has supposedly been incarcerated at Seward, Alaska’s Spring Creek Correctional Center.

Rumors began circulating that Barnum could be the son of Hollywood actor Harrison Ford after the public took an interest in him during his 2012 trial.

The Revcontent piece titled “Harrison Ford has pretty much given up on his son” featured the Indiana Jones star beside “Eyeball” Barnum.