A Tulsa woman waited outside in her car with her children while police closed in on her boyfriend, a convicted felon accused of pointing a gun at her inside a home near 41st and Yale. Officers eventually caught up with 47-year-old Timothy Forrest only after a department helicopter spotted him bolting out the back door and scaling a fence.
Tulsa Police responded on Saturday to a report of a man pointing a gun at his girlfriend at a home near 41st and Yale, according to KOKH. The victim identified her boyfriend as Forrest and told officers he was still inside the home with a gun when they arrived, the station reported. She and her children were found outside in her car, away from the home, when police got to the scene.
Helicopter Tracks Suspect Over Backyard Fence
As officers moved in, the Tulsa Police Department's Air Support Unit spotted Forrest running out the back door and climbing over a fence in an apparent attempt to flee, the outlet's report states. The helicopter tracked him until officers on the ground were able to take him into custody. Inside the home, officers recovered a gun, according to the same account.
He faces arrest charges of feloniously pointing a firearm, possession of a firearm after a prior felony conviction, and domestic assault and battery, per the station's reporting. Forrest is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a gun, the report notes.
What Forrest Could Be Facing in Court
Under Oklahoma statute 21 O.S. § 1289.16, feloniously pointing a firearm is a felony carrying a potential sentence of 1 to 10 years in state prison upon conviction, regardless of whether the weapon was loaded, according to the Pasquali Law Firm. Possessing a firearm after a prior felony conviction carries the same 1-to-10-year state range under 21 O.S. § 1283, while a parallel federal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) could expose Forrest to up to 15 years in federal prison, the firm notes.
The domestic assault and battery charge carries its own range of consequences. A first offense is a misdemeanor under 21 O.S. § 644, punishable by up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $5,000, while repeat offenses escalate to a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, according to the Urbanic Law Firm. It remains unclear how Tulsa County prosecutors will ultimately charge the case as it moves through court.
A Statewide Pattern Behind the Call
The incident lands against a sobering statewide backdrop. Oklahoma ranks third nationally for women killed by men in single-victim, single-offender homicides, according to World Population Review.
To respond to calls like Saturday's, Tulsa Police and other Oklahoma agencies use the Lethality Assessment Protocol, a standardized tool for evaluating on-scene danger during domestic violence calls and connecting victims with emergency support, according to state records cited by Oklahoma.gov. Tulsa also opened the expanded $25 million Case Family Safety Center on South Sheridan Road, which consolidates police detectives, domestic violence advocates, medical staff, and prosecutors under one roof for survivors, as reported by KOTV News On 6.
Aerial Backup Rooted in a Recent Upgrade
The helicopter that tracked Forrest flies out of the Hardesty Hangar and heliport at the Tulsa Police Academy. The city opened the $5.42 million Hardesty Hangar and heliport at the Tulsa Police Academy in April 2025 to house the department's Air Support Unit and sharpen its aerial response to high-risk calls.
