Convicted murderer escapes on way to North Carolina hospital: Police
Ramone Alston, 30, was convicted of fatally shooting a 1-year-old girl in 2015.
A convicted murderer escaped from custody Tuesday morning while being transported to a medical appointment at a North Carolina hospital, the sheriff's office said.
Ramone Alston, 30, broke away from a corrections officer while being escorted to UNC Hospital in Hillsborough, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
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"He had freed himself from leg restraints and, still in handcuffs, jumped out and ran into adjacent woods," the department said in a statement.
He was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, brown pants and white New Balance sneakers, as well as handcuffs connected to a waist chain, officials said.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, Alston's whereabouts were still unknown.
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Officials are asking the public to immediately call 911 if they see him and warning them not to approach him.
"He’s unpredictable -- we don’t know what he’s going to do, so he should certainly probably be considered dangerous," Keith Acree, a spokesperson for the Department of Adult Correction, said in a press briefing. "People make rash decisions at a time like this; he’s already made one very large rash decision this morning."
The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction is offering a reward of $25,000 for information leading to the capture of Alston.
Alston was convicted of shooting and killing a 1-year-old girl on Christmas Day in 2015. He is serving a life sentence.
The infant victim, Maleah Williams, had been playing outside with her Christmas toys when she was struck by gunfire, her mother previously told Raleigh ABC station WTVD.