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A routine traffic stop in Tulsa turned into a police shootout and manhunt after officers approached a driver for having duct tape covering his rear window. The January 23rd encounter, captured entirely on bodycam footage, shows how quickly a minor vehicle code violation can spiral into violence and chaos.
The unidentified suspect remains at large more than two weeks after the incident, despite officers firing multiple shots during the confrontation.
The Stop That Started Everything
Tulsa Police Officer Fox initiated the traffic stop in what he described as a high-crime area, explaining to the driver that "anything that you have covering a window has to be clear." The interaction began cordially, with the suspect immediately disclosing he was legally carrying a .32 caliber firearm at his waist.
"In Oklahoma, if you're legal to carry a gun, you should carry a gun," Officer Fox told him. "You don't reach for yours, I won't reach for mine." Both men seemed to understand the arrangement.
The suspect explained he had been told the previous day that the tape was acceptable, but cooperated when asked to step out of his vehicle for further discussion.
When Cooperation Turned to Panic
What happened next defies the calm opening of the encounter. As officers attempted to detain the man for further questioning, his demeanor shifted dramatically. "You guys just freaked me out," he told officers, claiming severe anxiety about the situation.
The suspect began backing away from officers, repeatedly asking what law he had broken while refusing to comply with detention orders. "I don't consent to any of this," he declared, even as officers explained he was being lawfully detained.
His behavior grew increasingly erratic as he moved toward traffic, with officers warning they would deploy a taser if he continued into the roadway.
The Moment Everything Exploded
The bodycam captures the precise moment when words turned to violence. As officers continued trying to gain compliance, the suspect's actions suddenly escalated beyond verbal resistance.
"He's reaching," an officer shouts, followed immediately by the sound of gunshots. "Confirmed. I fired two shots," the officer reports over radio as the situation descended into chaos.
The footage shows the suspect moving toward his truck as officers sought cover, fundamentally changing what had been a conversation about window taping into an active shooting scene.
The Escape That Still Baffles Police
In a stunning turn of events that reads like fiction, the suspect successfully made it back to his vehicle and fled the scene despite the police response. Officers can be heard on radio coordinating a search, but their efforts proved unsuccessful.
"He's still not found," comes the final radio transmission, a reality that remains unchanged weeks later. The Tulsa Police Department confirms they are still actively searching for the individual involved in this encounter.
The complete bodycam footage reveals crucial details about how this escape was possible and what officers were dealing with in those chaotic moments after shots were fired.
Watch the full unedited bodycam footage to see exactly how a routine traffic stop became a shootout and successful escape that has investigators still searching for answers.
