Man wanted on Canada-wide warrant back behind bars after being arrested in Hamilton
Posted December 19, 2023 8:56 pm.
Last Updated December 20, 2023 1:46 pm.
One of the more conspicuous fugitives in recent memory is back behind bars.
Michael Stamatakos, who gained a measure of viral notoriety for his distinctive facial tattoos, has been arrested by Hamilton Police after being on the run twice since February 23, 2023, the Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (R.O.P.E.) Squad confirmed on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old had been the subject of a Canada-wide warrant.
He was serving a two-year sentence for several offences, including arson, flight from police and uttering death threats, when police say he first breached his statutory release and went into hiding in February.
He was arrested a month later in Hamilton after he checked himself into St. Joseph’s West 5th hospital and was recognized by hospital staff who called police.
But in October he went on the lam again, sparking a second manhunt.
Despite already sticking out like a sore thumb, Stamatakos appeared to draw even more attention to himself in a series of social media posts that were later deleted.
TikTok account “Toronto’s Joker” uploaded several since-deleted videos, including one where he brazenly posed for a tongue-out selfie in front of a Toronto police cruiser.
The TikTok account was later deleted or suspended.
Police would not confirm that it was Stamatakos in the social media posts, but the person shared the same distinguishable tattoos.
With files from Lucas Casaletto
