BLOOMSBURG — A man considered armed and dangerous is being sought by Town Police as the suspect who fled officers Wednesday afternoon, dropping a loaded handgun as he fled the vicinity of West Third and West streets.

An arrest warrant has been issued for 24-year-old Edwin Russell Coston of York, police said Thursday. They identified him as their suspect after a review of footage from nearby cameras and criminal database logs of people with the surname Coston.

Arrest papers say Coston at first identified himself as Kenneth Coston and gave police a false date of birth. Officers questioned him after receiving a complaint of theft of services from a taxi cab driver about 2:35 p.m.

Coston and two other men seen in the vicinity were stopped and questioned, but denied being involved in any theft, according to police.

When asked if police could search him, Coston took off running with Officer Matt Golla in pursuit. Crossing West Third Street, the officer fell to the sidewalk, injuring his left shoulder and bruising his left hand and knee, arrest papers say.

Coston fled out of sight, but officers recovered a fully loaded .38 caliber revolver on the street where Coston dropped it in flight, police said.

They note that Coston, who has not yet been apprehended, had no license to carry the handgun.

The gun’s serial number had also been defaced and was not clearly discernible, charges say.

Court records show he has convictions in York County for theft, shoplifting and driving drunk.

Arrest papers say he is a black male weighing 225 pounds and 5-11 in height. He has brown eyes, short black hair and a large black beard

Charges filed on Thursday include aggravated assault on a police officer; gun violations for illegal possession and altering serial numbers on a weapon; resisting arrest; giving false identification to police, and criminal mischief related to an officer’s uniform being torn during the pursuit.

A police bulletin says that any information regarding the case or Coston should be directed to Officer Quentin Reinford of Bloomsburg Police, 570-784-6300.

Leon Bogdan can be reached at 570-784-2121, extension 1307, or by email at leon.bogdan@pressenterprise.net.