Police seek ‘sovereign citizen’ after traffic stop with shots fired Thursday in west Tulsa

Police were still looking on Friday for a man who led officers on a pursuit following a traffic stop Thursday in west Tulsa.

A warrant was issued Friday for 35-year-old Michael Spear, who got into a confrontation with officers in what police described as a “sovereign citizen type of situation.”

Those who claim to be “sovereign citizens” generally claim that the government does not have jurisdiction over them.

The incident began around 3:30 p.m. Thursday when Tulsa police stopped a pickup near 51st Street and Waco Avenue, according to a news release. The driver was visibly armed and verbally confrontational with officers as he got out of the vehicle, Tulsa Police Capt. Richard Meulenberg said.

Spear reportedly requested a police supervisor and “told officers he did not need a driver’s license because he was ‘traveling.’ This is terminology that is frequently used by individuals who identify as sovereign citizens,” the Tulsa Police Department news release says.

Read more: Tulsa World