Photo: CBS 12
A man shot by a deputy near Delray Beach on Wednesday faces three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The Sheriff's Office says 23-year-old Alexander Bucspun pointed what appeared to be a rifle at deputies who were conducting a welfare check at a home in the Country Club Acres community.
Someone called to tell authorities that the man was acting erratically and may not have been taking his medications. There was also a report of a previous response to the home a day earlier in which Bucspun allegedly threatened to kill deputies with a pair of scissors.
During Wednesday's response, deputies encountered Bucspun in the backyard with what turned out to be a black, long-barreled air gun which officials say was consistent in size and appearance to an authentic firearm. One deputy fired their weapon at the man and struck him.
Bucspun has a prior arrest history, including three times in September of 2021 when he was taken into custody on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and others.
He was treated at the hospital this week and booked into the county jail.