Man charged with aiming crossbow at police tells court he was ‘digitally imaged’ and brainwashed

Update, 6:40 p.m. Thursday:

Folse was indicted by a grand jury in Anchorage for the attempted murder of two Anchorage police officers.

The charges are two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree assault, two counts of third-degree assault, as well as one count of resisting arrest and one count of reckless endangerment, according to a written release from the state Department of Law.

Folse is scheduled to appear in court on January 21.

He may face as many as 99 years in prison per attempted murder charge if he’s convicted, according to the release.

He could also face up to ten years per attempted first-degree assault charge, up to five years per third-degree assault charge and up to one year for the reckless endangerment charge, according to the release.

Update, 2:30 p.m. Wednesday:

Anchorage police said officers Theodore Freitag and Kylie Baker fired shots at Folse. Freitag has been with the department since 2008 and Baker has been there since 2017, police said.

Original story:

A man who pointed a crossbow at police before they fired shots at him Sunday in South Anchorage may be facing an additional charge of attempted murder, according to a prosecutor.

Dustin Folse, 35, appeared in a wheelchair for his arraignment hearing Monday afternoon on charges of reckless endangerment and assault on a police officer. He was shot multiple times in the leg, police said.

Officers were called to 36th Avenue and Spenard Road around 9:30 a.m. Sunday because a man in dark clothing and a ski mask was pointing a crossbow at passersby, Chief Justin Doll said Sunday. Officers didn’t find him at the scene, but Doll said a caller reported at 11:30 a.m. that the man was targeting vehicles with the crossbow near Huffman Road and Brandon Street.

A witness told investigators Folse “made a beeline” toward an officer as she got out of her vehicle at the intersection of Huffman Road and Industry Way. He raised the weapon, appearing to point it at the officer as she tried to take cover behind her vehicle, the charging document said. A second officer fired his or her gun at Folse, and the other officer also shot at him, charges said.

Folse fell to the ground, where “it appears he discharges the crossbow and is shot again,” charges said. He dropped the weapon before running south across Huffman Road, according to the charges.

A witness recorded the incident on his cellphone camera, and charges said the incident was also partially captured by a police cruiser’s dashboard camera.

Folse was treated at the hospital for two gunshot wounds, charges said.

A stray bullet pierced the window of a laundromat in the Huffman Square Shopping Center across the road.

Folse spoke at length during his arraignment hearing Monday and repeatedly told the court he was “badly being digitally imaged by felons" and had been brainwashed.

A prosecutor said the state may pursue an attempted murder charge against Folse as the investigation continues. He is being held on a $20,000 bond.

Folse has outstanding warrants in Louisiana for a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery and is wanted in Oregon on charges of unlawfully purchasing a firearm.

Both officers who fired shots at Folse were placed on a mandatory administrative leave and their names will be released after a 72-hour waiting period, Doll said.