TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Police are searching for a man who led them on a chase last week where officers fired shots.

Officer Danny Bean said it all began with a traffic stop near 51st and Union on Jan. 23.

“As soon as our officers make contact with our driver, who is our suspect, he tells them he is a sovereign citizen, that he does not have to obey by our laws. That is somewhat common for patrol officers to see,” Bean said.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, sovereign citizens believe they are not under the government’s jurisdiction and don’t have to follow the law.

Police said Michael Lee Spear refused to show an ID and told officers that he was armed with a pistol. Bean said Spear asked for a supervisor to come to the scene.

“I think our supervisors and officers showed an extreme amount of patience. Then our suspect was ultimately not obeying commands. He was going to go to jail and stated he had a weapon, started scuffling around with our officers and reached for where he said his weapon was and shots were then discharged,” Bean said.

Officers aren’t sure if Spear was hit but said he made it back to his truck and took off.

Police chased Spear west into Sand Springs where they said he got out of the truck and ran into a rural wooded area.

“We were able to identify who the driver was. After someone makes it a little more dangerous like that, running into the woods in the dark, and we don’t always know what is going on. We can back off because we know who the suspect was. He is still outstanding and we have warrants out for his arrest,” Bean said.

Spear is charged with multiple crimes including endangering others while eluding a police officer.

If you see Spear or have any information about where he is, you can call Crime Stoppers at 918- 596-COPS. You can remain anonymous.