Lorenzo Watson (Photo from Crime Stoppers)
A federal probationer out on drug and weapons charges and sought in the shootings of two men with a sawed-off shotgun — one fatal — and a sledgehammer beating of another man was arrested after surrendering while hiding in an attic when authorities notified him they would send in a police dog, officials said.
Lorenzo Watson, 56, was arrested on Friday, the U.S. Marshals announced in a news release.
Watson was wanted by numerous agencies in the Cleveland area dating to June 11 when he allegedly shot a man in the back with a sawed-off shotgun in the parking lot of an apartment building. The man suffered serious injuries.
He was sought in a deadly shooting on July 6 in which he’s accused of firing a sawed-off shotgun at a man in the face in an attempted robbery.
Officials said they believe Watson and two others, including a woman, were involved.
Lorenzo is accused of shooting the man when he answered the door after the woman knocked, authorities said.
“He’s a menace,” said East Cleveland police Cmdr. Joseph Marche in a news conference on Thursday announcing a reward for his capture.
Marche said Lorenzo is a person of interest in several other violent crimes in the city.
On June 12, he’s accused of shooting a man in the stomach with a sawed-off shotgun, sending the victim to the hospital. The victim was sedated with a breathing tube in an intensive care unit for weeks, officials said. Detectives did not talk to him until July 8, when police said he picked out the suspect from a photo array.
“And our victim stated, “This man shot me close range with a 12-gauge shotgun to my stomach and left me to die,”” Detective Sergeant Reginald Holcomb with the East Cleveland Police Department.
On June 20, he allegedly beat a man in the head with a sledgehammer in a home. Miraculously, the man survived. Authorities said in their news release that the man remained in the hospital as of Friday.
“He ended up crawling out a second-story window onto a roof, jumping onto the driveway going down a roadway, and neighbors called police when they saw him standing outside, covered in his own blood,” said Capt. Jeremy Young with the Cleveland Heights Police Department.
The U.S. Marshals Service had sought him for federal supervised release violations on June 22.
Police said tips generated after a news conference announcing a $10,000 reward helped authorities track Watson down to a home in the 1200 block of East 125th Street.
An unidentified woman was also arrested at the home for active warrants through Cleveland police, and another was arrested for obstruction of justice and attempting to hide Watson.
“Crimestoppers of Cuyahoga County is an integral partner to all law enforcement agencies across Cuyahoga County,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said. “This suspect was a violent menace to our communities, and with the help of Crimestoppers and the public, he will be behind bars for a very long time.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
