Suspected sex offender Charles Mozdir, who was featured on last night’s airing of CNN’s The Hunt, hosted by John Walsh, was killed during his attempted arrest today.
Police had a warrant for Mozdir on child molestation charges at a location in Manhattan. According to CNN, 2 U.S. marshals and a New York City police officer were wounded during the attempted arrest.
Mozdir had been sought by authorities since 2012. When the original episode of The Hunt that included Mozdir’s profile aired cops received a tip that he was working at a restaurant in Manhattan. At the time the information didn’t pan out.
According to Walsh, after last night’s airing another tip came in that was accurate – resulting in an address for Mozdir.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the injuries suffered by the law enforcement officials appear to be non-life-threatening.
Here’s the summary on Mozdir’s past profile via The Hunt:
Charles Mozdir’s two friends thought they knew him: in school, Charlie seemed to take pride in never really fitting in with one group. When these two friends – who requested their names not be used — got married, Mozdir was their wedding photographer. He was even present for the birth of their first child. Sure, Charlie seemed to have a secret life and told outlandish stories about his overseas travels – but the couple figured that was part of his eccentric nature.
Then, in June 2012, everything changed. The couple’s now 7-year-old son was ill with a high fever and the mother was trying to take care of the couple’s newborn daughter. The father, who was away at the time, insisted his wife call Mozdir to help out since he was a night owl anyway.
Despite her apprehension, she did call Mozdir and he came over to help watch the sick child. As she slept in the same king size bed with her son, Mozdir stayed awake by the bedside keeping an eye on the feverish child. The next morning, she thanked Mozdir for being “a great godfather” and she said “that was the last time I saw him.” She said her son told her a short time later about how Mozdir had touched his private parts and told the boy this was normal and that his parents would be upset if he said anything to them.
The mother said she was physically ill after hearing this and, after telling her husband, they immediately went to the police. Coronado, California, investigators executed a search warrant on Mozdir’s house and found evidence of child pornography and bestiality on his cell phone and computers, according to U.S. Marshals Service deputy Brian Grimes.
Mozdir was arrested four days after the incident and booked into the San Diego County jail before posting bail the next day. The district attorney told the couple that Mozdir had been accused in another child assault case when he was babysitting a young boy who told his mother. On June 15, 2012, Mozdir failed to appear at his arraignment.
Charges were immediately filed and arrest warrants were issued. Grimes said investigators believe he took all his money and fled. Mozdir indicated he was considering going to Mexico or Japan during one of his last phone calls. His roommate told police that Mozdir had two guns and had threatened to kill himself and kill a victim’s father.
The Coronado Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service searched for Mozdir in Georgia and California, as well as the Mexican state of Baja California. On June 20, 2012, Coronado police found Mozdir’s abandoned vehicle hidden in the brush outside the coastal Georgia town of Darien. The license plate had been ripped off and there was an extra gas tank inside. A bloodhound picked up Mozdir’s scent near U.S. Highway 17. There has been no sign of Mozdir since.
He is considered a threat. “Certainly I believe that he is out there right now harming children and harming other people, I absolutely believe that,” said Steve Jurman, a supervisory deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service. Mozdir was last seen in San Diego by his sister with his dog, a black lab named Lucky. He has search and rescue and EMT training, and may be able to live off the land for extended periods of time.
