Someone who has done something illegal and is trying to avoid being caught by the police.
Fugitive refers to an individual evading law enforcement authorities in an attempt to avoid incarceration or a dangerous situation. Also referred to as a runaway or wanted person, a fugitive is often fleeing from custody due to being accused or convicted of a serious crime and seeks to avoid arrest.
FBI’s Most Wanted List is a published document that publicly announces a list of fugitives to increase the ability of the police force to recognize and arrest dangerous individuals.
The term has been popularized in movies such as The Fugitive (1993) and Catch Me If You Can (2002), in addition to the television show America’s Most Wanted. Channel 4’s reality show Hunted challenges individuals to be exposed to the fate of wanted fugitives. Contestants must avoid capture for 28 days by evading all state surveillance, without contacting friends or family, or using a phone or debit card.
A man in Japan who has been at large for over 45 years has finally been caught by the police. Masaaki Osaka has been a fugitive since the 1970s and has appeared on wanted posters throughout the country for decades. Osaka is a radical left wing activist who reportedly murdered a police officer during a street riot in Tokyo which occurred during a protest in 1971. He is accused of attacking the officer with a steel pipe before setting him on fire. His time on the run from authorities was allegedly the longest ever among major crime suspects, meaning no other suspected criminal has spent a longer time evading arrest as designated by Japan’s National Police Agency.
fugitive
someone who has done something illegal and is trying to avoid being caught by the police
