Search underway for ‘The Wire’ actor who escaped police custody

Police are searching for a former actor on "The Wire" who allegedly escaped custody after being taken to a Baltimore hospital last week.

Christopher Clanton Sr. -- who played Savino Bratton in two seasons of HBO's Baltimore-based drama "The Wire" -- allegedly escaped from police custody on Friday after being transferred to a nearby hospital, police said.

The 33-year-old actor was arrested for allegedly violating a protective order on Thursday, the Baltimore Police Department said.

He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital on the city's northeast side the next day for treatment for a pre-existing medical condition, the department said.

Police did not offer details on how he escaped, but they said he somehow managed to leave the hospital without notice, sparking a state-wide search.

The department posted two images of Clanton on its Facebook page Friday, asking for the public's help in the search.

"Christopher Clanton, Sr. is 6’ tall and weighs approximately 165 lbs. He is known to frequent the Harford Road corridor," the post said. "Anyone who has seen or knows of Clanton’s whereabouts is asked to call police."

The hospital did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment, but a spokesperson for Baltimore MedStar Hospitals, including Good Samaritan, told the Baltimore Sun that she could not answer questions about the incident.

"Our role as a healthcare provider is to ensure every patient who comes through our doors gets the best possible medical care," Baltimore MedStar Hospitals spokesperson Debra Schindler told the Sun. "It would be inappropriate for us to comment on what is truly a police matter."

Clanton played one of the enforcers in Avon Barksdale's crew in "The Wire," which took place in Baltimore and charted the daily lives of police officers and criminals for five seasons on HBO.