The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has issued an urgent call for help to the public, releasing additional photos of a suspect involved in a serious weapons offense. The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Tyrell Lamonte Bailey, is wanted for unlawful possession of a firearm after a series of harrowing events that resulted in the tragic death of an officer. MPD's official release detailed the course of the incident leading to the current manhunt and posted a substantial $60,000 reward for information leading to Bailey's arrest and conviction.
On August 28, the MPD officers in a routine operation, canvassed the area of the 4500 block of Quarles Street, Northeast. In attempts to make contact with Bailey after he alighted from a vehicle deemed suspicious, he evaded the officers and fled. He made his escape, discarding a firearm into a storm drain that later discharged unexpectedly, striking an officer who was attempting to recover it as evidence. The helter-skelter sequence of events ended with the officer being airlifted to hospital, where, engulfed by tragedy, he succumbed to his injuries. The operator of the motorcycle that the suspect fled on has since been found and detained.
The tragedy has prompted the MPD to team up with the FBI, ATF, and the U.S. Marshals Service, leading to a combined reward offer of up to $60,000. Bailey, standing at 5’6” and about 180 lbs., marked by tattoos running the length of both arms, is the subject of a DC Superior Court arrest warrant. As conveyed in a statement obtained by the MPD, they emphasized the seriousness of this case and the desperate need for community assistance in locating Bailey.
Information on Bailey's whereabouts has been solicited intensely by the authorities, who have set up a designated tip line for these critical leads. Members of the community can call the MPD at 202-727-9099, or, guaranteeing anonymity, send a text to the department's TEXT TIP LINE at 50411. Walking through the investigation, the MPD has also publicly thanked the local and federal partners whose support has been steadfast since the response to the incident first unfolded, and continues to bolster the ongoing investigation. Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department's NIBIN Investigations Unit, along with agents from the ATF and U.S. Marshals, were responsible for retrieving the firearm and remain committed to resolving the case.
