MVSKOKE RESERVATION – Lighthorse officers responded to two separate public threats on Thursday, March 27. Early in the morning Lighthorse Police were called to a standoff that lasted a total of six hours. In the early afternoon, the MCN Okmulgee Health Complex went on lockdown due to credible threats from a family member of a patient at the hospital.
At 3 a.m., Lighthorse Police attempted a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle stopped by police was identified as Clint Wesley Menzo Lawrence. According to MCN Press Secretary Jason Salsman, Lawrence was wanted on a U.S. Marshals’ warrant in Texas and Oklahoma. Lawrence is not a tribal citizen, however Lighthorse was the law enforcement agency that initiated the traffic stop.
“He (Lawrence) didn’t stop, he evaded, when they tried tactics to get him to stop, he sideswiped some cruisers,” Salsman said. “Our vehicles weren’t damaged, they were just a little bumped. He meant to get away. Lighthorse pursued and followed him to a residence in Jenks where he pulled into a house, and literally did not stop the car and ran inside.”
Lawrence then barricaded himself inside the residence. The Lighthorse SWAT Team and Tulsa Police Department were brought in on site for assistance. South Elwood Avenue between 71st and 81st street was shut down as a precaution. When Lighthorse began giving verbal commands, four adults exited the house. Lawrence remained barricaded and refused to comply with commands given by law enforcement. Tear gas and pepper balls were used to get Lawrence out, but he did not respond to either deterrents.
K-9 officers were then brought in, along with the department’s brand new Tactical Response Vehicle which now transports the department’s UAV drones. The drones were able to pinpoint Lawrence’s position in the attic of the residence. Lawrence was apprehended by the K-9 officer and was treated for minor injuries. No Lighthorse officers were harmed during the standoff.
The residence Lawrence barricaded himself in was located near Jenks Northwest elementary. The standoff resulted in a delayed opening for the school. According to Salsman, Lawrence will face additional charges for disrupting a school day.
Okmulgee Health Complex Lockdown
At 1:53 p.m. MCN employees were informed that the Okmulgee Health Complex was closed due to a credible threat, and that employee IDs would be required to enter the facilities. A half hour later at 2:23 p.m., Lighthorse Police issued a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alert for Morgan Freeman, a 50 year old white, male who was last seen driving a black Hyundai Sante Fe. The BOLO also stated that the suspect was armed and made direct threats to law enforcement, stating he would “take out” any law enforcement officers that got in his way.
At 3:20 p.m. officials announced that Freeman was apprehended by Tulsa Police Officers.
According to Salsman, Freeman’s mother was a patient at the Okmulgee hospital. Freeman had struggled with mental health issues in the past. Freeman had tried to visit his mother earlier in the week, but was escorted out by security for saying what Salsman described as “inflammatory language”.
“It ramped up to a call where he (Freeman) said ‘I’m getting a bunch of people together, we’re storming that place (Okmulgee Hospital) and getting my mom. Anyone that gets in our way is going down, I don’t care to die, I don’t care to kill anybody else.’ So it became a much larger issue.” Salsman said.
Freeman claimed that he was organizing a group to “storm the hospital”. Lighthorse was unable to validate that claim, but learned that Freeman had access to firearms. At that point the threat was deemed credible and a lockdown order for the complex was put into effect.
After Freeman was apprehended, he was moved to Okmulgee County where he remains in custody for felony charges of Planning to Attempt to Conspire to Perform an Act of Violence. According to Salsman, no one was hurt during the lockdowns, and Freeman no longer poses a threat to the public. The MCN Health Complex will see increased security presence out of an abundance of caution.
