A suspect accused of putting a North Carolina deputy in the hospital after an with a pipe is on the loose, News reported.
The unnamed Cleveland County deputy was attacked while investigating a suspicious vehicle near Curt Ledford Road, about 55 miles northwest of Charlotte, around 8 a.m. Monday. It was not clear why the deputy was investigating the vehicle or if the suspect is the vehicle’s owner.
The deputy fired shots, reported, but it’s unclear if bullets hit the suspect, according to the sheriff. It was also not immediately clear if the deputy fired shots before or after being assaulted.
The officer was in the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the sheriff’s office told.
The Cleveland County Sherriff’s Office said the suspect is a 6-foot tall white man with full-sleeve tattoos and a left neck tattoo. He was last seen in boots, black shorts and a white shirt driving a tan-colored Buick sedan, the sheriff’s office told News.