Tulsa County deputies arrest man accused of threatening girlfriend, hiding from law enforcement

Body camera and drone video show Tulsa County Deputies arresting a man they say threatened his girlfriend with a gun, then ran and hid from deputies.

Deputies say their K-9 tracked Gael Lopez to behind a shed where he was hiding under brush.

News On 6 reported on Gael Lopez last year when he was arrested for kidnapping, assaulting a girlfriend and leading deputies on a pursuit. He was given a six year deferred sentence for those charges, but a warrant was issued for him last month because he wasn't following the rules of his probation.

June 6th, 2025 Arrest:

Body camera and drone video shows Tulsa County deputies arresting Gael Lopez after a nearly two hour search through thick brush last week.

Deputies were already looking for Lopez because he had a warrant, but then his girlfriend called 911, saying Lopez was threating her with a gun. Deputies say when they got there, Lopez ran and hid, which is something he's done before.

"Every time. He's either running or hiding," said Deputy Kimber Take.

Sergeant Ernie Mendenhall brought out K9 Missy, a bloodhound trained to track human scent. Deputies say Lopez dropped a gun and his cell phone while running.

"We were able to obtain his scent from the cell phone and start a K9 track," said Mendenhall. "We went through a lot of overgrown areas and over a few fences and we were ultimately able to locate the suspect."

April 2024 Arrest:

Body camera video also shows deputies arresting Lopez a year ago after finding him hiding in a closet at a woman's apartment. In that case, deputies say Lopez had been the run for a week after he led deputies on a chase with his one-year-old baby and the baby's mother in the car, then crashed, ran and left them behind.

"When people are that desperate that they are running from law enforcement and they are carrying a firearm, the new issue is how willing are they to put the public in danger to stay away from us," said Deputy Take.

Arrest Warrant Issued in May 2025:

Records show Lopez violated his probation by not doing his drug tests, violating the no-contact order with the victim, being thrown out of the batterer's program for threatening to kill another client and getting these new charges.

Lopez is now in the Tulsa County jail booked for domestic assuult and having a gun as a felon.