A 21-year-old Cleveland-area man wanted on two counts of aggravated vehicular assault is now the subject of an active manhunt by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office, which is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest. Julius Chapman, described as Black, 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, with a December 15, 2004 birth date, is also wanted for carrying concealed weapons, receiving stolen property, having weapons while under disability, vandalism, driving under the influence, improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, and failure to comply with police.
The sheriff's office publicized the wanted poster in a Cuyahoga County Sheriff on Facebook post titled “Happy 'Browns Picked a QB' Day,” timed to Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken's announcement that Deshaun Watson would start at quarterback over rookie Shedeur Sanders, according to the Cleveland Browns' own announcement of the decision. The post directs anyone with information to Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County's anonymous tip line at (216) 252-7463 or its website, www.25crime.com, where tipsters may be eligible for the reward if their information leads to Chapman's arrest and indictment.
Chapman's current fugitive status traces back to a prior booking. He was first jailed in Cuyahoga County on May 11, 2026, on an overlapping set of charges — receiving stolen property, resisting arrest, driving under the influence, carrying concealed weapons, aggravated vehicular assault, improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, and vandalism — establishing that he had already faced felony scrutiny months before becoming a wanted fugitive.
What the Charges Actually Carry
Aggravated vehicular assault, the lead charge against Chapman, is defined under Ohio Revised Code Section 2903.08 as occurring when an impaired driver causes serious physical harm to another person. It is typically charged as a third-degree felony carrying a mandatory prison term of one to five years and a driver's license suspension of two to 10 years, according to legal guidance published by Rittgers. Chapman faces two counts of that charge.
The weapons under disability charge stems from Ohio Revised Code Section 2923.13, which makes it a third-degree felony punishable by 9 to 36 months in prison and fines up to $10,000 for someone to knowingly possess or carry a firearm while facing active felony indictments or fleeing as a fugitive, per an explainer from the Botnick Law Firm. Separately, failure to comply with a police officer's order to stop a vehicle can escalate to a felony under Ohio Revised Code Section 2921.331 if the driver flees immediately after committing a felony or creates a substantial risk of serious physical harm to people or property, according to an overview from the Dominy Law Firm.
Reward Wednesday and the Regional Manhunt Network
The sheriff's office regularly promotes its fugitive cases through a program called “Reward Wednesday,” launched in March 2025 in partnership with Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County to offer cash incentives up to $5,000 for anonymous tips leading to arrests — a campaign Hoodline has covered before. Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County operates as a non-profit funded by public donations, accepting anonymous tips by phone or through its web portal.
Manhunts like Chapman's are also backed by broader regional resources. Fugitive apprehension efforts in the area draw on the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, which coordinates federal, state, and municipal agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service and the Cleveland Division of Police, as reported by WOIO Cleveland 19 News. Beyond the Crime Stoppers tip line, the sheriff's office also maintains its own online fugitive tip form asking the public for tactical details such as known associates, vehicle license plates, employment hours, and whether a suspect owns aggressive pets.
A Name That Has Appeared in Cleveland News Before
Readers searching for information on this case should be aware of a separate, unrelated matter involving the same name. A 38-year-old Cleveland man also named Julius Chapman was killed in a shooting outside a nightlife venue in the city's Warehouse District in June 2025, a case Hoodline previously reported in its piece on the downtown shooting death. That homicide victim is not connected to the 21-year-old wanted fugitive named in the sheriff's current appeal for tips.
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