Police search for attempted murder suspect who escaped custody in Monroe

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Several law enforcement agencies are actively searching for an attempted murder suspect who they say escaped custody Friday night.

Cleveland Lamont Waters is accused of shooting someone and then escaping police custody while they were transporting him.

Around 4:30 a.m. Friday, the Monroe Police Department were called because someone had reportedly been shot multiple times on Winchester Avenue. They figured out the shooting actually happened in the middle of English Street, and the victim ran until he collapsed on Winchester Avenue.

The victim was eventually transported to an area hospital and is expected to survive his injuries, according to police.

A neighbor told Channel 9′s Glenn Counts she heard the shooting.

“I heard a car door slam, it was in the street,” she said. “I rolled over in my bed when I heard a couple of shots, I rolled off my bed for safety.”

She told Counts she grew up there. She said a family member gave medical aid to the victim while she kept a nervous watch.

“I kept surveying the perimeter to see if whoever had the gun was coming back, so I stood on the porch and I watched,” she said.

Police said the suspect, 42-year-old Cleveland Lamont Waters, has active arrest warrants for attempted first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

Waters was arrested at a home on Locklyn Road in Waxhaw. Multiple firearms were seized from that home, along with a substantial amount of illegal narcotics, according to police.

However, police said around 8:30 p.m. Friday, before Waters was able to be booked into jail, he escaped custody still wearing his handcuffs. He was in the area of Carroll Street, Rolling Hill Drive, and King Arthur Drive.

“We heard some police cars and then we saw the helicopter flying around the backyard and across the street on [Highway] 74,” said resident Ryan Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald told Counts he has been living in the neighborhood for 17 years.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office brought a K-9 in to help search for Waters. They’re also using high-tech equipment that can single out body heat, but so far, it’s to no avail.

Having a man accused of attempted murder on the loose is not a comfortable feeling for residents.

“Just really bizarre because whatever was going on doesn’t happen around here,” Fitzgerald said.

“At this time, everybody have to be safe and look out for everybody,” the other neighbor said.

The Monroe Police Department, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and additional law enforcement agencies are actively searching for Waters, although they believe he may have left the area.

Police said Waters was last seen wearing black pants and a red shirt, and he may even still be in handcuffs. He is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him and immediately call 911.

Anonymous tips can be submitted to Union County Crime Stoppers at 704-283-5600. Citizens may be rewarded up to $5,000 in cash for providing anonymous information that helps lead to the felony arrest of criminals or fugitives.

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