Baltimore police are searching for a man who not only evaded their custody, but who also has an arrest warrant.
On Friday, at around 1:30 a.m., Southeast District police officers that were patrolling the Fells Point area were flagged down by a local tavern manager. This tavern manager told them about a man that was behaving aggressively towards customers and employees in the 700 block of South Broadway. Officers located, approached and conducted a field interview with the said man in a nearby parking lot.
After speaking with the man, who they identified as 33 year old Gokhan Donald Oztas, officers were told that Oztas was wanted on a warrant for Second Degree Assault and Possession of a Deadly Weapon. Oztas then took off on running through the 1600 block of Thames Street, where he slipped through a pass-way leading to the water.
Ignoring commands from officers, Oztas jumped in the water and began swimming away. Officers last observed Oztas drifting back towards the dock and then submerging into the water.
Despite the officers’ search efforts, neither the Baltimore Fire Department nor the Baltimore Police Marine Unit were able to locate Oztas. At the moment, Oztas’ condition and whereabouts are unknown, so if you have any information about Oztas and/or his whereabouts, please call either 9-1-1 or the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7Lockup.
You can also submit a tip by downloading the Baltimore Police Department’s mobile APP to your smartphone.
